Adelaide - The East Timorese resistance leader, Mr Jose Ramos Horta, yesterday welcomed a shift in Australian policy that backs the possibility of independence for the Indonesian-occupied province.
"I would say we are on the same wavelength for the first time in many years," the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said.
The Australian Foreign Minister, Mr Alexander Downer, announced the policy move earlier in Adelaide, saying he did not believe the East Timorese people would accept Indonesian offers of autonomy which did not include the long-term option of "an act of self-determination".
Mr Downer said Australia would prefer that East Timor opted to remain under Indonesian rule, but would accept a vote for independence.
Indonesia said yesterday it "deeply regretted" Australia's change of stance on the problem of East Timor, adding that it would have an adverse effect on the search for a lasting solution. In a separate development the Indonesian military has arrested 16 soldiers in troubled Aceh province for torturing and killing four villagers and seriously injuring 20 others held in military custody, a senior officer said yesterday.