Jakarta – Indonesia's leading pro-Moslem newspaper on Tuesday called the UN-run independence ballot in East Timor a conspiracy to undermine the world's most populous Moslem nation.

The Republika, controlled by a Moslem intellectuals' group founded by President Habibie, said in an editorial the UN mission in East Timor (UNAMET) had discriminated against migrants and Moslems during Monday's voting in the mainly Roman Catholic territory.

"UNAMET's decision to ask eligible voters to produce their christening papers ... can be seen as an effort to block [Moslems] and migrants from taking part in the ballot," it said.

Most of the migrants in East Timor are Moslems coming from the Indonesian islands of Java and Sulawesi. The United Nations allowed voters to produce a variety of identification papers before they cast their ballot, including birth certificates and Indonesian government ID cards. The United Nations estimated that over 95 percent of registered voters had turned out for the poll, which is widely expected to put East Timor on the path to independence.

Republika said it had collected reports that UN staff – accused this week by State Secretary Muladi of pro-independence bias – had forced people to vote for independence.

The editorial said Australia and the United States, which had threatened to cut aid if Jakarta failed to keep order during the ballot, had their own interests in the territory. "Apart from the ideological factor, East Timor which links the Pacific and Indian Oceans is very strategic for warships and commercial vessels," it said.

"The United States of course do not want to miss the opportunity ... to monitor the Asia Pacific. While for Australia, East Timor can be used as a buffer zone to contain disturbances from the north," it said.

"We hope that during the ballot, the East Timorese will choose Indonesia," it said. "But if East Timorese choose to separate from Indonesia, please be a good and friendly neighbour. Be free in its real meaning ... don't be a 'puppet' of foreign interests."

Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975 and annexed it in 1976 in a move not recognised by the United Nations.