European Parliament issues resolution on Maluku, Aceh and Papua
ANTARA Jakarta
The European Parliament has issued a resolution calling on Indonesia to formulate an immediate peaceful solution to the conflicts in Maluku, Aceh and Papua, while affirming its recognition on Indonesia's integrity, a report said.
Signed by 13 members of the parliament, the resolution suggested that Indonesia invite the United Nations' special rapporteurs to investigate the alleged torture of civilians by the military in the provinces of Aceh and Papua.
The resolution was issued during the European Parliament meeting held in France last week to discuss human rights issues in Indonesia, Antara reported from Brussels on Wednesday.
The resolution contains 15 points on facts and information on human rights violations found by the European Parliament, and 11 points on its concerns and calls on Indonesia to take immediate measures against various human rights violations in the provinces.
In Maluku, the parliament spotlighted the absence of an independent inquiry commission, the arrest of Laskar Jihad (holy war) commander Ja'afar Umar Thalib on May 4, 2002, who had provoked Maluku's Muslims to ignore the Malino II peace accord on April 26.
It also said that Indonesia had held peaceful dialogs with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Geneva on May 10, 2002.
On Papua, the European Parliament made mention of a fact that the National Investigation Commission had claimed six members of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) were involved in the murder of Theys Hiyo Eluay, chairman of the Free Papua Movement's Presidium Council.
In other parts of the resolution, the European Parliament expressed concern over the United Nations' Human Rights Commission led by Mary Robinson which it viewed as having failed to live up to its responsibility on the occurrence of human rights violations in the three Indonesian provinces.
It hailed the government's measures to drive away all members of the Laskar Jihad from Maluku, saying the Indonesian government was committed to peaceful resolution.
On Aceh and Papua, the resolution also urged the Indonesian government to form independent enquiry commissions composing of international human rights experts to investigate the slaying of Eluay and also human rights cases in Aceh.