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 Jonathan Head reports for BBC News"It's been a long haul for these men to win the recognition of the world's most powerful country"  real 28k  |
Holbrooke issues warning on Timor
Richard Holbrooke wants the refugee crisis to end |
US Ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke has ended his visit to Timor with a warning to Indonesia that the US will be monitoring an agreement over joint patrols near the border between East and West Timor.
"We'll see if the attitude towards the activities of the militia moves in the direction we want it to move" he said, adding that Washington wanted to maintain "close and strong relations" with the Indonesian military.
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He told reporters in Dili that Mr Gusmao was "satisfied" with the border agreement reached with Indonesia on Monday.
Earlier Mr Holbrooke met Mr Gusmao's Falintil guerilla fighters and told them that the plight of the refugees in West Timor, whom he had visited the previous day, was "not so good".
"Many of your friends, many of your relatives are still trapped in these camps," he told the fighters.
"If they could see this scene today they would not be afraid to come home to the peace and freedom that you have achieved."
East Timor's spiritual leader Bishop Carlos Belo, speaking after his meeting with Mr Holbrooke, appealed to the more than 200,000 refugees who fled or were forced from the territory in September to return.
Bishop Belo has appealed to the refugees to return |
"All the lies spread by militias among the Timorese in West Timor, don't believe," the Bishop said. "Please come back because the situation is already good."
 Please come back because the situation is already good  |
| Bishop Belo |
Militias 'like Khmer Rouge'
Mr Holbrooke urged the Indonesian authorities to do more to stop the intimidation of the refugees by militia groups, who are blamed for holding up the repatriation programme.
Mr Holbrooke urged Indonesia to stop refugee intimidation |
"We are not happy with what we are seeing here at all, it is at sharp variance with the statements of the Indonesian military."
Mr Holbrooke said he wanted to see the refugee camps cleared, with those who wished to go back being allowed to do so and those who wanted to stay being integrated into Indonesian society.
The BBC's Jakarta Correspondent Jonathan Head says that, with more than a quarter of the population still living outside East Timor, getting the refugees back is considered an important step in bringing life back to normal in the ravaged territory.
Refugees return from camps in West Timor |
New UN appointment
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Tuesday appointed a senior French official, Jean-Christian Cady, deputy head of the UN transitional administration in East Timor.
Mr Cady will have the rank of Mr Annan's deputy special representative and will be in charge of governance and public administration.
A UN commission, headed by Costa Rican jurist Sonia Picado, is due to arrive in Dili on Thursday to question witnesses about atrocities committed by the pro-Indonesian militias.
The five-member commission is planning to meet representatives of non-governmental organisations and members of the Indonesian human rights commission, according to UN spokesman Jamel Ben Yahmed
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See also: |
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23 Nov 99 | Asia-Pacific |
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Australians to pay Timor tax |
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27 Oct 99 | Asia-Pacific |
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UN wants $200m for East Timor |
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20 Oct 99 | Asia-Pacific |
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Refugees begin return to East Timor |
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16 Sep 99 | Asia-Pacific |
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Malnutrition among East Timor refugees |
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09 Sep 99 | Asia-Pacific |
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Forced deportations from East Timor |
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Internet links: |
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East Timor International Support Centre - Bishop Belo profile |
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East Timor Human Rights Centre |
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UN Mission in East Timor |
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