Word: referendum
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...January of this year, Indonesia's new president, B. J. Habibie, attempted to boost his international credibility by offering East Timor a referendum on its status. In the August poll, 78 percent of the electorate chose independence, but pro-Indonesia militias ? backed by Indonesian military officers ? then launched a reign of terror against the pro-independence majority...
...battleground that will settle the struggle for power in Indonesia itself. The crisis has shown the limits of civilian authority in Jakarta ? not only is President Habibie being ignored by his armed forces, but they actually forced him to reluctantly declare martial law in the territory after the referendum result was announced. Some analysts believe that East Timor may also have become caught in the crossfire of a struggle for power between different factions within the Indonesian military itself...
...next decade, Washington routinely voted against U.N. resolutions recognizing East Timor's independence and urging Indonesia's withdrawal. With Cold War concerns a thing of the past, however, the U.S. now wants Indonesia to respect the will of East Timor's people as expressed democratically through August's referendum. But Indonesia's economic and political centrality to the region, and its potential instability, make Washington cautious about applying pressure on Jakarta over East Timor...
...said she was unsure whether the councilitself would oversee the referendum...
Davis suggested that the referendum be runjointly by the house committees...