East Timor appeals to neighbors for help

Independence leader Xanana Gusmao is expected to win the first presidential elections in East Timor in April

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (CNN) -- The fledgling territory of East Timor has made a plea for help from its two closest neighbors, just three months before it officially becomes an independent state.

In an "historic" meeting Tuesday on the Indonesian island of Bali, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer joined his Indonesian and East Timor counterparts, along with the territory's U.N. representative, in the first talks ever held between the three neighbors.

East Timor will become the first new nation of the millennium on May 20, after years of Portuguese colonial rule followed by more than two decades of brutal Indonesian occupation.

Australia vowed on Tuesday to help East Timor, promising millions of dollars in aid as well as agreeing to take part in a police gathering aimed at boosting security.

But ties between Indonesia and East Timor remain fractious after the 1999 vote for independence from Jakarta turned violent.

Backlash

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The referendum sparked a backlash by pro-Indonesian militias and members of the military who went on a bloody rampage. Hundreds of East Timorese were massacred in the ensuing clashes. The U.N. has administered East Timor since then.

Peace was eventually restored through the intervention of an Australian-led force and two years later the territory held its first election for the legislature recording a turnout well above 90 percent.

Australia's intervention in East Timor did little to boost its relations with Indonesia.

For its part, East Timor is keen to increase ties with Jakarta, and urged Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Monday to attend its independence celebrations in May to help heal the wounds of the tiny territory's violent transition to statehood.

East Timor's Chief Minister, Dr. Mari Alkatiri, told reporters Tuesday that ties with other nations will be crucial in helping kick-start the territory's economy and boost security both on its land and its borders.

While the violence in East Timor has subsided, security in the post September 11 world has taken on new dimensions, with Asian countries keen to stamp out both the threat of terrorism and transnational crimes, such as people smuggling and drug trafficking.

Australia's Downer said on Tuesday that police officials from the three neighbors, including representatives from the Australian Federal Police, had agreed to meet to tackle crime.

Economic boost

The talks were also aimed at discussing the need to revive the territory's flagging economy.

After years of repression and poverty many East Timorese are expecting to see rapid benefits from independence.

However, with the former Indonesian province reliant on international aid and much of its economic infrastructure destroyed in the 1999 violence, observers say it will be almost impossible to deliver on those expectations. Some politicians have already expressed doubts the territory is ready to govern itself without U.N. assistance.

In a sign of how much importance Canberra is placing on its new neighbor, Downer said that Australia would give A$8.5 million ($4.3 million) to help East Timorese refugees and internally displaced people in Indonesia.

Around 80,000 East Timorese are still living in refugee camps in West Timor.

Further afield, violent communal clashes have racked this vast archipelago, displacing about 1.3 million people.