Indonesian leader visits E Timor

Mr Yudhoyono's visit will be closely watched

Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has begun a symbolically important visit to his country's former territory of East Timor.

Mr Yudhoyono was welcomed on his first trip as president to the tiny nation with a 21-gun salute.

East Timor voted for independence in a bloody 1999 referendum, and is now keen to build ties with its giant neighbour.

But for some Timorese, the memories of Indonesia's often brutal rule will overshadow the visit.

East Timor's predominantly Catholic public may however, also be distracted by the funeral on Friday of Pope John Paul II.

The national anthems of both Indonesia and East Timor were played on Mr Yudhoyono's arrival at Dili airport.

He is expected to meet East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao, a former resistance fighter against Indonesian occupation.

He is also due to sign an agreement with Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri to formalise the border between East Timor, and Indonesian-owned West Timor.

More controversially, Mr Yudhoyono is considering visiting two cemeteries where both Indonesian and East Timorese blood has been shed, according to newspapers in Jakarta.

The first, Seroja, is the resting place for Indonesian troops killed in 1975-6 when Indonesia seized control of the territory following the Portuguese colonial government's departure.

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The second, Santa Cruz, was the scene, in 1991, of one of the most infamous incidents of Indonesia's occupation. More than 200 people mourning an independence activist were shot dead by Indonesian troops.

The incident, which led to the US restricting arms sales to Indonesia, helped fan independence calls, culminating in the UN-sponsored 1999 referendum.

On Thursday, Mr Gusmao called on people not to stage protests against Mr Yudhoyono's visit.

"Please forget the bitter past," he said.

In the run up to, and immediate aftermath, of East Timor's vote for independence, local gangs, aided by Indonesian soldiers, went on the rampage. More than 1,000 people died.

Mr Gusmao, anxious to stress the importance of building good relations with Jakarta, has not pushed the Indonesian government to punish those responsible.

But the international community has expressed concern at Jakarta's failure to do so.

Jakarta set up a special human rights court in 2000 to try military and police officers charged in connection with the unrest. But most of the convictions have now been quashed, and rights groups have questioned the court's effectiveness.