European leaders yesterday called for a quick end to terror in East Timor following Indonesia's acceptance of deployment of an international peacekeeping force in the territory.
In Berlin, German Foreign Minister Mr Joschka Fischer urged Indonesia to put an "immediate end to murders, terror and expulsions" in East Timor.
While the Portuguese President, Mr Jorge Sampaio, repeated an offer for troops to participate in a UN-led peackeeping force, and a foreign ministry spokesman said Lisbon was ready to take part "from day one", the Dutch European Union commissioner for external relations, Mr Hans van den Broek, said European troops should stay out of the force.
"I think that, if you know a little about Indonesia, if you know the pride of the Indonesian people and the country's colonial past, then that is a good reason why an international force should be composed of troops from the region and not from the former colonial powers," he said.