Australia decided to support East Timorese independence many months before a referendum in 1999, but publicly maintained the line that it should remain part of Indonesia, a report said on Saturday.
In an interview for a book about modern Australian politics, former prime minister John Howard said he had believed East Timor’s independence was “inevitable.”
But “one had to be careful about handling that publicly,” Howard told author Paul Kelly.
“You had to get the Indonesians to agree,” he said, according to an extract of the book published in the Australian newspaper.
Kelly said Howard’s foreign minister Alexander Downer told him in January 1999 that “there is now a very good chance East Timor will be independent by the end of this year, and we intend to go along with this.”
But they kept their intentions secret from their own defense department and also from Jakarta, hoping to hold the peace, Kelly said.
“Australia’s [public and military] objectives were having East Timor remain part of Indonesia, ensuring ties with Jakarta were put before the fate of East Timor, retaining Australia’s military ties with Indonesia and avoiding any Australian defense force deployment if possible,” Kelly said.
“While telling Indonesia that autonomy would be the best result Howard and Downer, as 1999 advanced, became willing backers of an independent East Timor,” Kelly wrote.
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