REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KUPANG -- Legal expert, Karolus Kopong Medan from Nusa Cendana University, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara province, said local diplomacy should be used to resolve bilateral border disputes.

He said this was especially important in the case of Indonesia and Timor Leste.

"Local diplomacy offers traditional leaders and the local community the opportunity to resolve the dispute as per prevailing customs and culture, since not all border disputes can be resolved using mechanisms provided by international law and resorting to diplomatic channels between the governments of both countries," he said on Tuesday.

He added that a lot of border disputes between countries could not be resolved because governments neglected the role that local figures could have played.

"There are many such issues that we found, related to this dispute. We think the international legal procedures must be set aside by promoting local wisdom, so that brotherly relations among the Timorese remain intact, despite the fact that they have a different citizenship," he said.

Medan added that the approach to have a cross-border passage, applicable to both the countries, was a positive one, but has not been fully implemented, hampering people's interactions with each other, even though Timor Leste was once a part of Indonesia.

"In terms of international law, entering the territory of a country without immigration documents is not justified, but we also have to understand and realize that they are brothers. The local administration and officials at the border must exercise control to avoid conflict," he said.

According to Medan, the disputed boundary issue between Indonesia and Timor Leste can be resolved fairly and properly if Jakarta and Dili involve the local leaders of both countries to resolve the issue in accordance with local customs and culture of the Timorese.

"The Timorese residing in the western part of East Nusa Tenggara and those in the eastern part of Timor Leste?s East Timor are brothers, and descendants of the Wewiku Wehali Kingdom. If the local leaders are involved in solving the dispute, I am optimistic it can be easily resolved," he said.

Medan reiterated that local diplomacy is needed to resolve international disputes, such as the border issues between Indonesia and Timor Leste.

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