AAP General News (Australia)
08-01-1999
FED: Downer more optimistic on East Timor following visit
CANBERRA, Aug 1 AAP -
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer today warned of serious
consequences if Australians were hurt in East Timor in the lead-up to the August 30 UN run
independence ballot.
But Mr Downer also declared optimism for East Timor, following his 24-hour visit to the
disputed Indonesian territory.
He said his visit, the first by an Australian
foreign minister, had left him more hopeful
on the issue of security in East Timor.
"To tell you the honest truth, I came away a little more optimistic about the East Timor
issue, and a little more confident about the safety of Australians," Mr Downer told the Nine
Network.
He warned that the federal government would not allow the safety of Australians to be
placed at risk.
"I made it clear for example to the pro-integrationists, as well as to others, that there
would be enormous consequences if Australians were hurt, that the safety of our own people in
East Timor is our primary concern."
Mr Downer said his visit showed the importance of Australia maintaining good relations with
Indonesia in the lead-up to the poll.
He expressed surprise that Labor's
foreign spokesman Laurie Brereton had been stopped from
visiting East Timor.
"I'd only say this about Mr Brereton, if he were in government, as distinct from opposition
he wouldn't say the things he says and behave the way he does.
"The fact that he wasn't able to go to East Timor sort of demonstrates the point that of
course, if I had behaved as he behaved, I would have melted down our relations with Indonesia.
I could never have done what I've been able to do."
However, Mr Downer said he was not opposed to Mr Brereton visiting East Timor.
"I think it would be advantageous for people to get a better sense of the complexities of
the issue if they allowed Mr Brereton to go, obviously.
"We wouldn't have any objection to that."
Mr Downer dismissed media reports that Australia had refused to join the US in planning for
an East Timor peacekeeping force, possibly to include the US Marines.
The Sunday Age reported that Australia had rejected advances from the US to coopera
te on peacekeeping plans for East Timor.
It said the diplomatic snub came as Washington considered whether to send the Marines into
East Timor if a UN peacekeeping force was needed.
The Sunday Age saids it believed that the federal government ordered senior Australian
defence strategists to reject an invitation to discuss strategy and intelligence planning for
the province at US Pacific military headquarters in Honolulu.
"It's false, that story is completely false. We have worked very closely with the United
States for a long time now on this issue," he said.
Mr Downer said the US had not offered to include the Marines in a UN peace-keeping force
for East Timor, but discussions for contingency plans had been wide-ranging.
"They have not, in any case, ever made that offer to me," he said.
"There have been a range of contingencies discussed. But whether the US, if for example
there were to be some kind of peace-keeping force in Phase Three ... whether the US would
participate in that peacekeeping force or not, I don't know."
AAP daw/adh
KEYWORD: TIMOR DOWNER
1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
