Fifteen militia commanders on Saturday accepted the 30 August 1999 referendum result, because it was, as they said, the decision of the majority.

The decision by the militia leaders was made at a tripartite meeting between CNRT, the Defense Forces of Timor Lorosae (FDTL) and PPI (the militia grouping), in Denpasar, Bali.

At the meeting PPI stated it wanted the following points adhered to: a) All communication channels to be maintained without any breakdown; b) Reconciliation dialogue to be maintained till there is some form of agreement among nthe Timorese people of differing political opinions.

"What's most important is that they [the militia commanders] have accepted the results of the referendum, because for them it was the unanimous choice of the Timorese people," said a CNRT participant who was contacted by STL.

According to the CNRT source, the militia commanders also accepted that they and their followers could be brought before the courts to answer criminal charges. "What's clear is that the judicial process will go on. It doesn't mean that when reconciliation is talked about, all crimes will be forgotten," said the source.

The militia leaders present at the tripartite meeting were: Joanico Belo, Cancio Lopez de Carvalho, Nemecio de Carvalho and other commanders.