World powers delay deploying forces

But the 20 delegates, including US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, failed to issue an expected call for Jakarta to accept international military intervention.

The issue was too big for the meeting, which included all 21 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC forum except for Taiwan and Hong Kong, along with Cook who also represented the European Union.

8220;This issue is much bigger than this ministerial meeting, this issue is much bigger than APEC,8221; McKinnon told a news conference after chairing the crisis gathering. The United Nations andIndonesia were responsible, he said.

8220;This whole issue belongs firmly in New York and Jakarta and the ministers here are very firm in their support of the secretary general Kofi Annan8230;in actively supporting the resolution of this. But it is bigger than us.8221;

The ministers had expressed 8220;grave concern at the deterioration of the situation and this very growing humanitarian crisis,8221; said the foreign minister. 8220;For example the armed militia still continues to carry out violent acts with impunity while deeply disturbing reports continue to emerge of forcible relocation of East Timorese,8221; he said.

In 48 hours, there has been no improvement in the 8220;deplorable situation,8221; the New Zealand minister said, and there was a worrying 8220;problem of command and control between Jakarta and East Timor.8221;

But any international force to stop the bloodshed must have the consent of Indonesia, he stressed.

8220;It will only have to shoot its way ashore if there is no consent from Indonesia and we are underpinningthe need for Indonesian consent,8221; the minister said.

8220;We are saying as the 20 nations represented here this morning, including Robin Cook who is effectively representing the EU that all of us need to participate in many ways to help.8221;

Most of the United Nations Mission in East Timor UNAMET were being forced out of the country.

Several delegates 8220;expressed willingness to assist the Indonesian government in the restoration of peace and security in East Timor through the United Nations presence that would work with Indonesia to restore law and order and facilitate UNAMET8217;s full return,8221; said McKinnon.

8220;We are very happy that we did have this exceptionally wide representation at the crisis talks8230;and there was a very strong willingness of ministers to canvas ways in which we could averting further suffering.8221;

The international meeting supported Indonesian President B J Habibie8217;s introduction of democracy to the country and the ballot he allowed in East Timor, which last week overwhelminglyvoted in favour of independence.

8220;The problem is that those successes risk being swept away with current events on that island,8221; said McKinnon.

The foreign ministers wanted humanitarian agencies from their own countries to return to East Timor but were fearful of doing so for lack of security on the island, the minister said.