Dublin - The Minister for Foreign Affairs has announced his intention to visit the jailed leader of the East Timorese resistance movement, Mr Xanana Gusmao, in a show of solidarity with its struggle against Indonesian occupation.
Mr Andrews yesterday repeated his call for the Indonesian authorities to release Mr Gusmao, who is serving a 20year sentence in a prison in Jakarta, adding that he would attempt to visit him "on an appropriate occasion".
Mr Tom Hyland, co-ordinator of the campaign, welcomed the announcement as "a major step forward". More than 200,000 East Timorese civilians have been killed by the Indonesian military since it invaded the territory in December 1975.
