Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Just four years ago, Mr Xanana Gusmao was Indonesia's most prized rebel prisoner. But yesterday, he returned as the head of state of an independent East Timor, saluted by the army that fought the separatist movement he led.
Mr Gusmao, who spent over a decade leading the guerilla outfit Falantil from the East Timorese mountains and spent seven years in a Jakarta prison after his highly publicised capture in 1992, was garlanded and given the 21-gun salute in front of the presidential palace yesterday.
The former rebel commander and his Australian wife, Mrs Kirsty Sword Gusmao, were warmly greeted by President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her husband Taufiq Kiemas.
Outside the palace, once-banned East Timorese flags fluttered alongside red and white Indonesian flags, while a painting of the visiting couple adorned Jakarta's main intersection.
After a private meeting with Ms Megawati, Mr Gusmao told the press that the purpose of his trip was to try to develop a "true friendship" with Indonesia and to formally establish diplomatic ties. Ms Megawati in turn said Indonesia was committed to cooperating with its newest neighbour in the trade, transportation and energy sectors.
"We talked about a comprehensive solution to problems between our states such as on assets, on both sea and land borders. We also offered cooperation in the fields of energy, trade and transportation," she said.
Later in the day, East Timor's newly appointed Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta and his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirayuda signed a joint communique to formally establish diplomatic relations.
At a press conference, Mr Ramos-Horta said the two foreign ministers had discussed the ad-hoc human rights trials meant to bring to justice those responsible for the violence and destruction in East Timor after its United-Nations-sponsored ballot in 1999.
Military-backed militias are believed to have killed at least 1,000 people and displaced 250,000 more during the rampage in September 1999. While the trials have come under international criticism for being nothing but show, Mr Ramos-Horta praised them yesterday.
"They are unprecedented in the history of Indonesia, unprecedented in the region and we should give credit to the Indonesian authorities for moving this process this far," he said.
But he expressed his disagreement with Indonesia's demands of financial compensation for the commercial and government assets left behind in East Timor.
"For the past two years, we have consistently conveyed that we prefer a zero-sum approach and that is that the two sides put aside respective claims," he said.
East Timor was prepared to discuss Indonesia's assets in a soon-to-be-established joint commission meant to enhance bilateral relations and resolve outstanding issues, he added.