Jakarta – East Timor peace and reconciliation talks ended Wednesday in the Indonesian capital with no major agreement signed and pro-and anti-independence factions manifesting "profound divisions" despite a willingness to continue dialogue.

A statement read by conference spokesman Rev. Domingos Sequeira stated that the most significant achievement contained in the gathering's final declaration was both sides' agreement to abide by the June 18 pact on disarmament of armed groups in East Timor, and to respect the result of the territory's August status plebiscite.

Participants also agreed to offer "total support" to the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), charged with overseeing the August 22 ballot in which East Timorese will choose between independent statehood or special autonomy within Indonesia. However, during the talks the anti-independence faction demanded "more guarantees" of UNAMET neutrality in the plebiscite process.

A proposal by the pro-independence faction to free detained resistance leader Xanana Gusmao so that he could take part in plebiscite campaigning "was not approved", Sequeira stated.

For their part, anti-independence representatives reiterated their argument that for them special autonomy status within Indonesia "is already a concession" and that pro-independence leaders should correspond by showing "flexibility".

The East Timor reconciliation talks were sponsored by the half-island's two Catholic bishops, Carlos Ximenes Belo and Basilio de Nascimento. The 60 delegates who took part in the three-day plenary session were evenly divided between pro-and anti-independence supporters. A preliminary Friday-Saturday meeting was attended by 10 representatives of each side.

After the Wednesday closing session, Bishop de Nascimento lamented the lack of concrete results, but said that the attendance by so many leading East Timorese was itself a sign of progress.