Indonesia vows to avoid war crimes court<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Foreign minister Alwi Shihab said on Tuesday
\nIndonesia would not allow its generals to be tried overseas.<\/p>\n
Responding to concerns from legislators that top military
\nofficers may be subject to international humiliation and trial
\nabroad, Alwi said the government was doing its utmost to see that
\nit would not happen.<\/p>\n
"We will try not to deliver the generals to an international
\ntribunal," he said during a hearing with the House's Commission I
\non defense and foreign affairs.<\/p>\n
The government would lobby various parties to ensure that an
\ninternational tribunal is not convened. He pointed to a meeting
\nwith U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as one example.<\/p>\n
Alwi said he also did not wish to see Indonesia's generals
\nhounded like criminals abroad.<\/p>\n
"We don't want generals unable to travel overseas and be
\narrested like Pinochet," he said, referring to the former Chilean
\nruler who was arrested in England during a visit.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has rejected the idea of an international tribunal
\non East Timor and contended it can properly investigate and try
\nthose responsible for violence in its former province by itself.<\/p>\n
Jakarta has set up its own inquiry headed by lawyer Albert
\nHasibuan. In its midterm report the inquiry said Indonesian
\nMilitary officials knew of the abuses going on.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian and United Nations's inquiry team, headed by
\nCosta Rican Sonia Picado, met on Monday to compare notes and both
\nagreed on the involvement of certain military officials in the
\nviolence.<\/p>\n
Separately, Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said
\non Tuesday he would not interfere with a judicial process on
\nhuman rights violations in East Timor as long as fairness and
\nimpartiality could be guaranteed.<\/p>\n
He said international accusations of rights violations must be
\nfirst proven through a legal process.<\/p>\n
"There has to be a clear process of evidence -- not just based
\non reported media developments, including news from foreign
\ncountries, which has tremendous influence on public opinion," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Juwono underlined it was the Indonesian team which "should be
\naccepted to lead the agency in the inquiry rather than the
\nreverse".<\/p>\n
"That is linked to our economic interests because I believe
\nthat the degree of credibility in the findings... will be
\nsufficiently adequate to enable the UN Security Council and
\nsecretary-general to decide on what level of punishment would be
\nadequate to address to Indonesia," Juwono said, adding that he
\nhad met Picado on Monday. (jun\/mds)<\/p>",
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