Leader of Timor Leste’s Fretilin Party visiting RI Jakarta

Antara - 09/10/07 21:36

- The leader of Timor Leste’s Fretilin Party, Mari Alkatiri, is currently visitng Indonesia to meet and hold dialogs with local political parties and other organizations.

At a meeting between him and Tifautul Sembiring, chairman of the Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) here Monday, the two sides agreed to step up two-way communications and explore the possibility of closer cooperation in the future.

Tifatul said after the meeting, " We had a dialog just now and I think it would be good for our two parties to cooperate with the purpose of building for the future."

He said at the present stage the two parties would first increase their two-way communications.

"We will first communicate with each other. We do not know yet what the cooperation will be like. Well, we will just correspond with each other first," he said.

Asked about the difference in ideology between the two parties, Tifatul said the spirit of his meeting with Alkatiri was building dialog for a better future.

"He (Mari Alkatiri) just now also admitted that his party’s ideology was socialism and not all in his delegation were Moslems," he said.

Tifatul further said that besides giving a lecture to Muhammadiyah (Islamic organization) Alkatiri during his visit here also wished to show that Fretilin still existed although it failed to win the posts of president and prime minister in Timor Leste’s recent general elections.

"Because as you know, Indonesia’s views will somehow always affect the political situation in Timor Leste," Tifatul quoted Alkatiri as saying.

Separately, Mari Alkatiri meanwhile said that his intention to meet leaders of several organizations and political parties in Indonesia was to hold dialogs and share experience as well as provide information on the latest developments in his country.

"The people of Timor Leste believe that if they can overcome all their present challenges, they will sooner or later recover and become a normal state," he said.

The former Timor Leste prime minister also explained that his party had built good relations with various parties in Indonesia and was trying to increase bilateral communications.

He also hoped that cooperation between Moslems in the two countries would develop well.
There are around 3,000 Moslems in predominantly Catholic Timor Leste. They have always lived in harmony with the rest of the people and are never discriminated against. Their Idul Fitri and Idul Adha holy days have also been declared national holidays.