Dili - Indonesia yesterday pledged to disarm militias opposed to East Timor's independence and prevent them operating from its territory in West Timor. The commitment to a crackdown came as a key committee of the national assembly raised the possibility of a delay in the ratification of East Timor's August 30th vote for independence.
A member of an Indonesian ad hoc committee on the East Timor issue said the vote would be delayed until Portugal, the former colonial power, has removed a clause in its constitution claiming the half-island as its territory.
Meanwhile, Indonesia moved to defuse a row with Australia over Sunday's border skirmish, in which Jakarta says an Indonesian policeman was killed by troops serving with the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET).
Indonesia's military chief Gen Wiranto issued a statement saying Indonesia would not let West Timor become a base for "any activity or struggle" against supporters of East Timor's independence or the peacekeepers.