AUCKLAND, Sept 8 : World powers Wednesday turned up the heat on Indonesia to stop the bloodshed in East Timor as Indonesian President B. J. Habibie suddenly withdrew from a key regional meeting here, reports AFP.
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright warned Indonesia it would "suffer in a variety of ways" if it failed to deal with escalating violence tearing through East Timor.
"We are calling on the Indonesian government, if it wants to maintain the respect of the international community and be a member in good standing, to take action themselves." Albright said.
If Jakarta failed to take action "we have a number of ways the international community can deal with that ... and make it clear to them that they will suffer in a variety of ways." she told CNN.
Reports say Indonesia's own military is orchestrating the violence that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee in
the wake of last week's overwhelming vote for East Timorese independence.
The US Secretary of State was to join informal talks here on East Timor later in the day with British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook ana colleagues from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, officials said.
The informal East Timor talks are scheduled to take’ place on the eve of a wider foreign ministerial meeting on the East Timor crisis early Thursday, officials said.
Albright was here to attend meetings of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
But she has yet to. confirm her attendance at Thursday's emergency conference on East Timor, being organised bj' New Zealand and Canada on the sidelines of the APEC meetings.
International efforts stumbled when Jakarta announced Indonesia's president will not attend September 12-13 summit. in which he had been expected to join other leaders such as US President Bill Clinton.
"President Habibie cannot come to APEC and will only be represented by the coordinating minister (for economy, finance and industry. Ginanjar Kar-tasasmita)." Justice Minister Muladi told Journalists at parliament.
"The reason is that after considering the agenda, it is felt to be not too strategic," said Muladi. who is also state secre-
A senior Thai official said some Southeast Asian nations were worried about Cook's attendance at Thursday's scheduled East Timor gathering, but he still expected the Philippines and Singapore to go along.
Details of the meeting are still sketchy but others likely to attend Include foreign ministers from Australia. Britain. Canada, Japan and New Zealand. Peru and Chile have also confirmed their attendance.
Cook flew in to Auckland earlier in the day to represent the European Union at the meeting, which was "very supportive of what we are doing
and the very fact that we are having this meeting alongside the APEC meeting," according to McKinnon.
In Canberra, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said the United States was likely to provide logistical support for any multinational peacekeeping force in East Timor.
He said Australian Defence Minister John Moore spoke to US and British Defence Secretaries William Cohen and George Robertson.
"We are confident now that the Americans would provide at least logistical support, which is quite important. Beyond that it is -still being studied in Washington,” Howard said.
But despite growing calls for international intervention. White House spokesman Joe Lockhart has told reporters in Washington there was still no decision on joining any armed peacekeeping force.
Killing to go on until
UN leaves: Dili mayor
The mayor of the East
Timorese capital Dili warned Wednesday that the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) had to leave the territory or the killing and destruction there would continue.
"If they don't go, it would be better if we just destroy everything, because they have destroyed everything of ours," said Mateus Hala during an impromptu press conference in a hotel lobby in this- West. Tim-*orese capital.
"We are one island with the West Timorese. Why on earth should we be separated? We are going to continue our armed struggle for as long as it takes.
"If foreign troops come in. ve will resist and shoot them. We have 25.000 weapons. The UN are the new colonialists. First we had the Portuguese, now • ve have the UN."- he said.
Haia. who like other officials in East Timor was approved by the Indonesian government, echoed pro-Jakarta groups which have accused UNAMET of rigging the territory's self-determination vote.