Lisbon - A Portuguese foreign ministry spokesman said last night that Jakarta's floating the idea of a special status for East Timor within Indonesia offered no solution to the future of the disputed territory.
"The declaration demonstrates the inflexibility of the Jakarta government and does not permit any progress in negotiations," a spokesman, Mr Horacio Cesar, said. The ministry had been asked to comment after President B.J. Habibie of Indonesia said in an interview his government might be willing to consider granting special rights to the Pacific territory as a way of resolving the 22 year-old dispute over its illegal occupation.
