_WORLD WATCH______________________________
__________________EAST TIMOR___________________
Bishops seek reconciliation
Call for security guarantees
The Catholic bishops of both East and West Timor have called for the immediate repatriation of refugees from West to East, offered support for the process of reconciliation and the setting up of a special Commission, and made a firm request to the Indonesian government to guarantee security in West Timor.
The statement was made by the bishops of Timor, who met on January 5 in Dili. Speaking with Fides, Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo of Dili stressed the importance of the event, “This was the first time we came together to discuss the humanitarian problem, the return of the refugees. For our part we want to say that today East Timor is in peace: we are ready to welcome the people home.”
At present, the new nation is administered by the United Nations Transitional Authority for East Timor which, before the end of January, was due to announce a date for the first general elections in the history of East Timor. The bishops’ statement ends with an appeal to international organizations to resume work with refugees in West Timor. Many relief groups have left the island after receiving threats from paramilitary groups.
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