Heated debate mars UNTAET House meeting

Heated debate mars UNTAET House meeting

JAKARTA (JP): An entourage led by the UN Transitional
Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) chief Sergio Viera Demello
met with House Speaker Akbar Tandjung and Assembly Speaker Amien
Rais on Friday in a move to promote the relationship between
Indonesia and East Timor and to garner aid to develop East Timor.

The meeting was also attended by legislators of Commission I
for defense, security and foreign affairs, including Astrid
Susanto, Simon Patrice Morin, RK Sembiring Meilala and Joko
Susilo, Antara reported.

The heated session was marred by legislators' objection to
UNTAET's intention to ask the Indonesian government for
assistance.

"The composition of UNTAET members certainly shows a sharp
discrimination as no prointegration figures are included and only
those who are proindependence are members. Therefore, it will be
impossible to push for reconciliation in East Timor," Joko
asserted.

"Before, East Timor asked for freedom and treated Indonesia as
an imperialist. After Indonesia has now set East Timor free, why
are you dragging our feet and involving us?" Astrid said.

Demello explained that "conditions in East Timor today are
very different from before independence."

East Timorese proindependence leader Jose Ramos Horta, who
also attended the meeting, eventually replied, saying that many
East Timorese proindependence leaders have become sympathetic to
Indonesia, "So let's forget the past. I think cooperation
(between two countries) is possible."

Legislators told journalists after the meeting that to help
repair Indonesia's tarnished international image, the government
immediately should resolve all problems related to its former
province East Timor.

Astrid, deputy chairwoman of Commission I, said the lack of an
appropriate foreign policy on East Timor contributed to
Indonesia's weak position in the international community.

"Our commission will recommend the government settle the
question of Indonesia's assets in East Timor, the problem of the
more than 120,000 East Timorese refugees in West Timor and human
rights abuse cases in the former Indonesian province," she said.

She said her commission also would suggest the government seek
a win-win solution regarding Indonesia's assets in the territory.

"Indonesia must gain compensation for its assets that will be
nationalized by UNTAET.

"The government also should settle the question of the East
Timorese refugees as soon as possible and pay the pensions of
retired civil servants who were employed in the territory in the
past," she said.

Asked about Lt. Gen. (ret) M. Yunus Yosfiah, who has been
accused of being involved in the 1975 murder of five foreign
journalists in Balibo, East Timor, Astrid said the commission had
decided to set up an independent fact-finding team to investigate
the case, and that Yunus would not be left alone to deal with the
matter.

"Whether he was involved in the incident or not, Indonesia
must not let the international community intervene in the case.
The government has the constitutional and moral obligation to
protect its citizens," she said, adding that several countries
were manipulating the issue as part of a conspiracy to discredit
Indonesia in the eyes of the international community.

Yunus, a former information minister, testified before the
commission on Thursday that he knew nothing of the incident and
had never met the five journalists who were killed.

Foreign institutions have called for an international tribunal
to try Yunus, who they believe ordered the killings when he was a
platoon commander in Balibo in 1975.

Sabam Sirait, another commission member, said the government
had to stand up to the international community to protect Yunus,
because he was sent to East Timor by the Indonesian government to
prevent civil war in the territory.

"Yunus was a dedicated soldier, not only during the military
operation in East Timor but also in the reform era. It was his
decision to liberalize the national press in 1998," Sabam said.

Pataniari Siahaan, another member of Commission I, hailed the
planned establishment of a fact-finding team to investigate the
incident.

Pataniari also urged the government to investigate 22 military
officers and government officials who were allegedly involved in
the 1999 bloody unrest in East Timor.

"The absence of an investigation of the officials has drawn
criticism that Indonesia is not committed to human rights and
democracy," he said.

Bachrum Rasir, a commission member from the Indonesian
Military/National Police faction, said the government should set
priorities in dealing with the problems related to East Timor,
instead of forging ties with UNTAET.

"It is not fair to supply rice and other commodities to East
Timor, while the government has failed to pay serious attention
to the refugees who are abandoned in West Timor," he said.
(edt/rms)