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Indonesian president withdraws from race

In a session that dragged from Tuesday into the early hours of yesterday morning, the 700-member People's Consultative Assembly also voted to recognize East Timor's vote for independence, paving the way for the half-island territory to become the world's newest nation.

"I announce my withdrawal from the presidential nomination, and I believe that many sons and daughters of Indonesia can do the job better than I have done," President B.J. Habibie said at a news conference.

As he spoke, leaders of Habibie's Golkar Party met privately, and TVRI television reported they chose Akbar Tanjung, the party's chair, as its new presidential candidate, and Gen. Wiranto, head of the military and the defense minister, as his running mate.

However, Marzuki Darusman, vice chair of the Golkar Party, told The Associated Press that it had not chosen another presidential candidate, was still meeting and may decide not to.

"We have not made any decision on that," he told reporters before the assembly was to meet for the election. "We have no candidate, and we may not have a candidate."

Habibie's withdrawal can only help his main rival, Megawati Sukarnoputri, as well as a third contender, Abdurrahman Wahid, the revered but ailing and nearly blind leader of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization.

Early Wednesday morning, the legislature rejected in a close vote Habibie's recent "accountability" speech about the successes and failures of his administration. Although that did not exclude him from the election, many people had expected that his party would have no choice but to seek a replacement candidate.

In the East Timor vote, the lawmakers approved the island's overwhelming vote for independence on Aug. 30 - 24 years after Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony.

The territory's overwhelming vote to break free of Indonesia led to a wave of killing, looting and arson by pro-Indonesian militias and their Indonesian military allies that continued until the deployment of an Australian-led multinational peacekeeping force.

The official handover of East Timor to a U.N. transitional team is expected by the end of the year.

In Washington, the Clinton administration welcomed the independence decision and said the United States is closely watching the vote for a new president.

"The assembly's unequivocal action shows respect for the will of the people of East Timor," President Clinton said in a statement. "It is also an important step forward in Indonesia's own democratic transformation."

Clinton called on the United Nations to establish a transition administration in East Timor and urged Indonesia to ensure the safe return of displaced East Timorese. He said the United States will help East Timor obtain legal recognition of independence and develop the necessary government institutions.

Habibie had been appointed to take over the presidency when his mentor, President Suharto, stepped down last year in the face of violent protests against his rule.

His failure to prosecute the former leader over allegations of massive corruption jeopardized his campaign to stay in power. Throughout his turbulent tenure, students have demanded, in often-violent clashes with security forces, that Habibie step down.

Habibie's government implemented democratic reforms, but has been plagued by economic hardship, scandals, protests and violence.

Indonesia's top legislative body, the 700-member People's Consultative Assembly, broke out in cheers after voting by 355 to 322 to reject Habibie's speech.

Supporters of Megawati, daughter of Indonesia's founding President Sukarno, hollered, clapped and hugged one another when the anti-Habibie tally reached an insurmountable total. Some wept and shouted: "Praise be to Allah!"

After the vote, supporters of Megawati marched jubilantly through the streets of the capital, Jakarta.

"It's the voice of the people. I'm really proud that the assembly members listened to the people's aspirations," said one reveler, Mohammad Hussein.

Backers of Wahid - known by his nickname Gus Dur - said his chances also had strengthened. They expect many Habibie supporters to swing behind him in an effort to block Megawati from the presidential palace, where she spent her childhood before her father was ousted by Suharto in 1966. However, Wahid has suffered two strokes in recent times.

Megawati's party won the most - though not a majority - of the votes in June 7 parliamentary elections in Indonesia.

The sprawling Southeast Asian country is the world's most populous Islamic nation, and somenservative Muslims refuse to support Megawati for the presidency because she is a woman.

She and Wahid had been close allies until a recent disagreement over strategy.

Indonesia's military remains politically powerful.

Before Habibie's decision to withdraw as a presidential candidate, he also had offered Wiranto the vice presidential nomination. But Wiranto remained uncommitted.

Students try to block West Bank evacuation

Singing Hebrew prayers and folk songs, the youths sat atop boulders on a dirt road leading to the outpost above this Jewish settlement and forced a flatbed truck to retreat. "We want to show that this won't come to pass quietly," said Elnatan Ben Yakov, an 18-year-old student .

While embarrassing to Prime Minister Ehud Barak's government in the short term, the protest was largely symbolic. Settlement leaders insisted that the plan to dismantle or relocate 12 West Bank outposts will proceed, and late yesteray a second outpost - consisting of a solitary water tower near here - was cleared out. Settlement leaders also insisted that they are not relinquishing their claim to the land at the sites.

10-20-99