The Australian Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, said yesterday an independent East Timor could be a financial burden for Australia and reiterated his view that autonomy within Indonesia was a better option.
Mr Howard said he did not oppose independence for the disputed territory as proposed by Indonesian President B.J. Habibie, but argued it would make East Timor more vulnerable and "more lonely," and that a hasty decision to secede would impose a heavy financial weight on Australia. Australia would be "appropriately generous" if the East Timorese people opted for independence, Mr Howard said, before adding: "But I am concerned about the potential burden."
He reaffirmed that he would prefer to see a period of autonomy for the former Portuguese colony, which Indonesia invaded in 1975 and annexed a year later.