Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid yesterday refused to recognise a congress held by Irian Jaya activists and tribal leaders who proclaimed the resource-rich province's independence over the weekend.
Mr Wahid, speaking at a news conference, said the congress of 3,000 tribal elders and activists was attended only by supporters of separation from Indonesia, making the event invalid.
The independence call underscores the problems confronting Mr Wahid, whose young government also faces separatist pressures in Aceh province, sectarian violence in several regions and a host of other political and economic woes.
"I asked that the congress be attended by all factions but they chose not to," he said. Mr Wahid last week said most people in the province wanted to remain part of Indonesia.
"Only pro-independence people attended. Because of this, we cannot recognise it," he said, adding that police and the military might take action to ensure security in the province.
The week-long congress in the provincial capital of Jayapura ended on Sunday adopting a resolution declaring Irian Jaya's incorporation into Indonesia in the 1960s invalid. It said the province had won independence on December 1st, 1961, when separatist leaders declared independence from the Netherlands, the territory's former colonial master.
Leading government figures in Jakarta have repeatedly criticised the congress, saying it did not represent the true wishes of most of the local population and warning of stern reprisals if delegates declared independence from Indonesia.
The US embassy in Jakarta said Washington did not support independence for Irian Jaya or any other part of Indonesia. "The United States government strongly supports the territorial integrity of Indonesia," it said, adding that the embassy had sent an observer to the congress.