PRESIDENT Nelson Mandela will meet exiled East Timorese activist Jose Ramos-Horta for talks on Friday, presidential spokesman Parks Mankahlana confirmed on Thursday.
Mankahlana said the discussions will be confidential, and are being held at Mandela’s invitation. He added that he did not believe their will be any public statements made after the meeting by either party.
Both men are recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize — Mandela in 1993 for his part in a peaceful end to apartheid and Ramos-Horta in 1996 for his role against Indonesian rule in East Timor.
Mandela was criticised during his state visit to Indonesia earlier this month for not raising the issue of East Timor with Indonesian President Suharto. At the time he said: “We are not going to take advantage of our friendship with Indonesia to prescribe what they should do.” However, it emerged this week that Mandela met imprisoned East Timorese rebel leader Xanana Gusmao at Jakarta’s presidential palace during his visit.
The two talked for almost two hours on July 15 at Mandela’s request, with the approval of Suharto.
Indonesian troops captured Gusmao in 1991. An Indonesian court sentenced him to 20 years in prison in 1994 for plotting against Suharto’s government. Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and annexed it a year later as its 27th province. The United Nations does not recognise Indonesia’s sovereignty over the territory.
When asked about East Timor during his Indonesian visit, Mandela said he discussed the issue in official talks with Suharto, whom he described as South Africa’s “close friend” and a potentially important trading partner. He did not criticize Indonesia’s policies, but instead suggested a solution could be found through dialogue, as had been accomplished in South Africa.