---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ++ Pemilu Online: http://www.indo-news.com/pemilu/ ++ ---------------------------------------------------------- Antara, June 18, 1999 Autonomy Option for Complete Settlement, Provincial Legislature Chief Dili, E Timor, June 18 (ANTARA) - The Chairman of the East Timor provincial legislature, Armindo Mariano Soares, has reaffirmed that the wide-ranging autonomy package is the Indonesian governments offer to settle the 23-years-long East Timor question once and for all. "This special autonomy is an offer to settle the East Timor question comprehensively, because the pro-integration and pro- independence groups can never come to a meeting point," he told reporters here Friday. He said that this special autonomy was a middle course resulting from a strong desire of the pro-integration East Timorese to maintain East Timor within the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia, and a strong wish of the pro-indepencence people to secede from Indonesia. According to him, the special autonomy status offered to East Timor may accommodate the wishes of both the pro-integration and pro-independence groups because under this status East Timor will remain part of the Republic of Indonesia and at the same time the status allows a large measure of self-government. "Therefore, the special autonomy status is the best middle course which may end the conflicts among the East Timorese," he said. Crucial Problem About the implementation of direct balloting to find out whether the East Timorese will accept or reject the offer for a special autonomy status, Soares said it could lead to a crucial problem which finally would harm the interest of the East Timorese themselves. Direct balloting, which will be held on a "one man, one vote" basis will raise a new problem, because the majority of East Timorese are not educated and have little knowledge about political matters, he said. "Whatever the outcome of direct balloting, some will win and others will lose. The problem is how far can the East Timorese, who are mostly still uneducated, can accept the outcome without resorting to clashes," he said. (U.DLI-01/INT-LH/10:30/INT-TA/nn02/11:47/TB06) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 23 Jun 1999 jam 04:56:28 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
