World ups pressure on Indonesia<\/p>\n
AUCKLAND (Agencies): U.S. President Bill Clinton led an
\ninternational chorus on Saturday calling on Indonesia to let in
\ninternational peacekeeping force in East Timor.<\/p>\n
Clinton, in Auckland for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
\n(APEC) summit, said it was imperative Indonesia request a United
\nNations peace-keeping force.<\/p>\n
Asked about a UN force for East Timor, Clinton said: \"I think
\nthe United Nations will support such an endeavor if the
\nIndonesians will request it. I think it is imperative that they
\ndo so.\"<\/p>\n
While the tone was diplomatic, it was the strongest message
\nyet to come from Clinton, who also announced earlier the
\nsuspension of American military sales to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Today we suspended all military sales, and continue to work
\nto try to persuade the Indonesians to support the United Nations'
\noperation to go in and help to end the violence and secure the
\nsafety of the people there,\" he said during a picture-taking
\nsession with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.<\/p>\n
The White House said the move would affect $100 million in
\nmilitary purchases from the United States and American commercial
\nmilitary suppliers.<\/p>\n
Mike Hammer, spokesman for the White House National Security
\nCouncil, said $2.5 million in pending direct government-to-
\ngovernment purchases had been stopped, and $40 million in direct
\ncommercial sales.<\/p>\n
He said a portion of about $400 million in direct U.S.
\ncommercial military sales would also be stopped, bringing the
\ntotal to about $100 million in suspended sales.<\/p>\n
The UN Security Council was scheduled to hold an open debate
\non East Timor on Saturday to allow UN members to give their views
\non Indonesia's failure to stop the bloodshed in East Timor.<\/p>\n
Council President Peter van Walsum of the Netherlands said the
\ncouncil would not adopt a resolution or issue a statement on
\nSaturday, but would resume its debate after the return to New
\nYork early next week of a five-member council mission that has
\nbeen in Jakarta and East Timor.<\/p>\n
Van Walsum read a council press statement endorsing a demand
\nby Secretary-General Kofi Annan for Indonesia to accept the
\nassistance of an international force in in East Timor.<\/p>\n
The statement welcomed the fact that a number of governments
\nhad indicated to Annan their willingness to participate in such a
\nforce.<\/p>\n
Annan told Indonesia on Friday to immediately accept a
\npeacekeeping force for East Timor or face responsibility for what
\ncould amount to crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n
In Amsterdam, Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok said time was
\nrunning out for the international community to decide on taking
\nfurther steps in East Timor if Indonesian authorities continued
\nto oppose sending a peacekeeping force.<\/p>\n
\"We must continue to exert maximum pressure on Jakarta. But
\ntime is running out quickly. So quickly that this weekend or next
\nweekend, we must decide on further steps,\" Kok said as quoted by
\nDutch news agency ANP.<\/p>\n
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in Auckland that
\nhis country, New Zealand, Malaysia, Britain, Canada, the
\nPhilippines and Portugal had given firm commitments to
\nparticipate in a UN-mandated peacekeeping force in East Timor if
\nIndonesia consented to such a force.<\/p>\n
Howard said the United States, Sweden, Thailand and France had
\nagreed in principle to support such a force in a way that had yet
\nto be defined.<\/p>\n
\"The U.S. offer has gone well beyond logistical support,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Howard had said previously that up to 8,000 peacekeepers would
\nbe needed for such a force, which Australia would lead.<\/p>\n
He said such a force would need Indonesian consent. \"We have
\nno quarrel with the people of Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
Howard said Portugal had agreed to offer two battalions of
\ntroops, Canada \"a couple of hundred\" troops, New Zealand 400 to
\n500 troops and Britain a warship plus a detachment of unspecified
\nnumber. He said Malaysia's offer was \"significant\", but that he
\nwould leave it to Malaysia to give details.<\/p>\n
Howard said other countries would be asked to make financial
\ncontributions to the force.<\/p>\n
New Zealand Foreign Minister Don McKinnon said he believed
\nIndonesia had moved closer to inviting a UN-backed force into
\nEast Timor.<\/p>\n
\"Every kind of phrase coming out of either Alatas' office (or)
\nHabibie's office is that that day is moving closer, and certainly
\nthe recognition that there will be an international force there
\nis now more 'when' rather than 'if'.<\/p>\n
Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy -- speaking to
\nreporters in Canada by phone from Auckland -- said Indonesian
\nForeign Minister Ali Alatas had agreed to cooperate with a
\nmultinational aid initiative.<\/p>\n
Humanitarian assistance would be brought to West Timor, which
\nwould be used as a staging area for helping East Timorese who
\nhave been displaced by violence by militias unhappy with an
\noverwhelming vote to separate from Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Axworthy said Indonesian authorities had made it quite clear
\nthat they would not be able to provide security for aid workers
\nto cross into East Timor itself.<\/p>\n
\"There's a message there all of itself,\" Axworthy said.<\/p>\n
Asked if Canada would apply economic sanctions, cutting off
\nwheat sales or aid, for instance, Axworthy said: \"There are
\nofficials looking at that, in conjunction with other countries,
\nand that would, I think, be part of the UN discussions, because
\nagain to apply any economic measures we would be looking for a UN
\nmandate.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesia is one of Canada's biggest wheat customers, taking
\n719,000 tons in the 1998-99 crop season.<\/p>\n
In Paris, the French Defense Ministry said it had decided to
\nsend a frigate currently based at Noumea, New Caledonia to the
\narea.<\/p>\n
The ship was one of three deployed in the Pacific, a second
\nalso being based in Noumea and a third at Papeete.<\/p>\n
France had four light frigates that were several days sailing
\nfrom East Timor, two in or near the Pacific territory of New
\nCaledonia, one in or near Tahiti and the fourth at Reunion island
\nin the Indian ocean.<\/p>\n
The frigates each weighed 2,600 tons, carried anti-ship and
\nanti-aircraft missiles as well as a 100-millimeter gun. Each had
\na reconnaissance helicopter aboard and was capable of embarking
\ncommandos, the sources told Reuters.<\/p>\n
Amnesty International issued its \"urgent action\" scheme for an
\nentire population, fearing for the future of East Timor.<\/p>\n
The scheme is a system of rapid response by a worldwide
\nnetwork of activists which aims to rescue people from human
\nrights emergencies, AFP reported from Sydney.<\/p>\n
\"Amnesty International fears for the entire population of East
\nTimor as armed pro-Indonesian militias and Indonesian troops
\ncontinue to have complete control of the territory,\" the human
\nrights watchdog said in a statement.<\/p>",
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