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US envoy urges return of Timor refugees
The senior American envoy Richard Holbrooke has urged the Indonesian president, Abdurrahman Wahid, to speed up the return of East Timorese refugees displaced by militia violence in the territory.
Mr Holbrooke met the president shortly after arriving in Jakarta to assess progress on East Timor.
Washington says that Indonesian cooperation with the United Nations mission in East Timor is a condition for restoring military ties, which were suspended because of violence by pro-Indonesian militias in East Timor in September.
The BBC Jakarta correspondent says the military projects suspended by the Americans were small, but the inability to buy spare parts has hurt the Indonesian armed forces especially their fleet of aircraft for moving troops around the archipelago.
The BBC Jakarta correspondent says even if the Clinton administration recommends resuming military ties following the Holbrooke visit, it will face stiff opposition from Congress, which wants a tougher policy on Indonesia.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
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