The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Mr Ali Alatas, said yesterday his government was ready to give East Timor special status in an attempt to find a lasting solution to the issue that was acceptable to the international community. In a further gesture, Indonesia's head of state, President B.J. Habibie, is to meet Bishop Carlos Belo, a spiritual leader of the East Timorese. Mr Alatas was quoted by the official Antara news agency as saying he had conveyed his proposal to the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, during a meeting in New York on Thursday. "For this aim, Indonesia is also ready to discuss the substantial elements of the special status for East Timor with Portugal, under the framework of the tripartite dialogue under the mediation of the UN Secretary-General," he said.