Lisbon – The special representative of the National Council for Maubere Resistance (CNRM) does not believe that the forthcoming round of talks between Portugal and Indonesia on East Timor will produce any concrete results. With regard to the next meeting between Jaime Gama and Ali Alatas, which is scheduled for June and will be the first meeting supervised by Kofi Annan, Ramos Horta has no doubts: "I am under no illusions".

Indonesia's "inflexibility" is at the root of the Timorese leader's scepticism. Ramos Horta does not for a moment question "the UN Secretary General's involvement". He praises the "competence and suitability of Ambassador Jamsheed Marker (the Pakistani diplomat appointed by Kofi Annan to be his Personal Representative on the question of East Timor), and he emphasises the importance of "Portugal's good faith and determination". He blames Jakarta's attitude for his negligible expectations on the negotiating process.

All or nothing in New York

Given this scenario, the CNRM special representative and 1996 Nobel Peace Prize laureate believes that "the time has come for some critical decisions". If his predictions are right, Horta promises to do all in his power to get Portugal to adopt a "more aggressive strategy" and bring about a vote at the next UN General Assembly session.

A confrontation at the General Assembly over the question of East Timor has not happened since 1982, when a resolution against Indonesia was adopted in New York. This possibility is out of the question as long as the current negotiations under the Secretary General's auspices continue. What Ramos Horta foresees is an inconclusive meeting in June, which could lead Kofi Annan to end the talks process. Then, the path would be clear for Timor to be put to the vote at the UN General Assembly.

In the view of Ramos Horta, both the international attention attracted to East Timor by the 1996 Nobel Prize awards, and the domestic situation in Indonesia itself, make ideal timing for a General Assembly vote. When the General Assembly meets, Indonesia will be going through an inevitable critical period between its legislative elections (in late May) and the Presidential contest scheduled for 1998. Horta expects that these internal upheavals will weaken Jakarta externally. Further Execution in Dili The East Timor Human Rights Centre (ETHRC) has stated that it has received reports confirming the murder of 32-year-old Fernando Lopes, shot to death in Dili on 8 February.

According to the Australian-based organisation, Fernando Lopes, born in Comoro, was shot in the back at 4 o'clock in the morning in the Timorese capital. The extra-judicial killing occurred in a street just 50 metres away from a police station. The perpetrators were Indonesian soldiers whose identities have not been revealed. Fernando Lopes was still alive when he was taken to the Wirahusada military hospital, but died the following day.

Last year, the ETHRC received 24 confirmed reports of extra-judicial executions in East Timor.