The Indonesian task force spokesman, Dino Djalal, said Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas and armed forces chief General Wiranto wanted a gradual withdrawal to prevent a security vacuum in the former Portuguese colony.

``Alatas and Wiranto have said three to six months...we don't want to leave a vacuum here, there has to be some continuity,'' Djalal said. According to foreign military observers, there are between 12,000 and 15,000 Indonesian military currently in East Timor along with 8,000 police.

In Monday's vote East Timorese will accept or reject an offer of broad autonomy under Indonesian rule, and Jakarta has said it will honor the result and grant East Timor independence should autonomy be turned down.Djalal said he was unable to give any firm date on Indonesia's ratification of the vote, whichwill be the task of the People's Consulative Assembly (MPR), which convenes on October 1.

He noted continuing delays in the allocation of seats to the parliamentary assembly which is a part of the MPR, but added that the ratification could be as early as mid-October.