Assembly chairman Amien Rais said the historic decree recognising the August 30 vote was cleared by representatives of all factions of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and were approved by the floor. No vote was taken. Passage of the decree, which will pave way for the takeover by an interim United Nations administration in East Timor, had been delayed because of a vote on President B J Habibie's performance in office.

At the end of a session of the top legislature dominated by its censuring of Habibie's record, East Timor's August 30 plebiscite, in which it overwhelmingly opted to secede after almost 24 years of often brutal rule, was ratified.

``All factions have accepted (the referendum result),'' Rais announced to the assembly. The decision was a formality after all the assembly's 11factions earlier agreed to endorse the result of the referendum.

But the assembly made another dig at Habibie, who has drawn strong criticism at home for allowing the referendum at all without consulting either the assembly or parliament.

``The People's Consultative Assembly respects the results of the ballot in East Timor without setting aside the fact that the...agreement (to hold the ballot) was done by the government without permission from the house of representatives,'' the decision read.

It formally annulled a decree issued by the assembly in 1978 incorporating East Timor into the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia invaded the territory in 1975, shortly after it gained independence from Portugal, and annexed the territory a year later in a move never recognised by the UN.

For the next 23 years the East Timor issue became Jakarta's foreign policy albatross, staining its role as a leading developing nation. Under the terms of an agreement between Indonesia and Portugal reached at theUN in New York on May 5, the MPR was due to nullify a decree enacted in 1978 formalising the integration of East Timor as Indonesia's 27th province.

The new decree passed on Wednesday will recognise the results of the August 30 referendum. A transitional UN administration will run East Timor prior to full independence, preparations for which are already under way.

In Dili, the capital of East Timor, an AFP reporter said the remaining Indonesian troops has been loading their belongings on landing craft at the port in apparent anticipation of the formal recognition of the territory's independence.

Discussions were also underway in Dili between the UN and a 31-man Indonesian Task force, which arrived at the weekend, on details of the handover of Indonesian state property to the UN administration.

A UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) spokesman said in Dili, "There's some suggestion that the final element of the TNI (Indonesian armed forces) may be withdrawn soon after the vote. We'll remain in closecontact with the TNI commander in Dili. He will advise us to the time of the withdrawal."

Some 1,500 Indonesian troops remain in the territory.