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by Kazi Mahmood Kuala Lumpur (Islam Online) - Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid said he was hopeful the United States would provide financial aid to relocate 120,000 displaced East Timorese who are in the Indonesian part of Timor. Last week, Wahid (Gus Dur as he is commonly known) called for international help to resolve the refugee problem. However, his statement was met with many reservations in the United States. Observers said that the beleaguered Indonesian President is behaving "too confidently" once again. The U.N. pulled out all foreign relief workers from the region after the attack on a U.N. base in West Timor. Indonesia is being accused of orchestrating these attacks that led to the murder of three relief workers. Abdurrahman told Indonesian reporters that U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, a member of the Congressional Budget Committee in Washington, assured him of assistance during their meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. "The U.S. wants us to come up with a breakdown of our financial needs for the refugee relocation program,'' he said, adding that "Home Affairs Minister Surjadi Soediraja has been instructed to draw the list of what we need and, hopefully, next week, it will be given to Dorojatun Kuntjoro.'' Kuntjoro is Indonesia's envoy to the U.S. Abdurrahman said that many East Timorese who fled to West Timor following the electoral vote last year, were reluctant to return because of uncertain economic conditions. A source at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta expressed his doubt that Indonesia would receive any financial or humanitarian assistance from America or from other foreign relief agencies until the Indonesian government was seen as capable of ensuring security. The source insisted that the U.S. has always played a role in assisting problems arising in West Timor. It is believed that the U.S. would like to see that role resumed. The U.S. is said to believe that the entire matter concerns Indonesia's territorial integrity and that Indonesia has to exercise jurisdiction over its own territory first. However, the U.S. has accused armed pro-Jakarta militias for last week's violence. These militias are said to be operating unchecked in the refugee camps in West Timor. Within the refugee camps, there are some120,000 people spread about in 250 or more camps. Living conditions are poor and relief efforts are difficult. Jakarta has taken over the role of the U.N. in distributing food and other facilities to the refugees. In response to the "veiled" U.S. attack on Indonesia, Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Social Affairs, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, strongly denied militias still existed in West Timor. "The militias were disbanded in 1999; over 600 weapons were seized from them. If there are some people saying militias exist, we'll have to look into it,'' said Bambang. Gus Dur earlier stated that events in West Timor were part of a Machiavellian design to taint his image and that of the country. He added that this was part of efforts initiated by occult political forces to discredit him, and force his resignation from the Presidency. |
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