Indonesia near quashing UN human rights inquiry
Indonesia near quashing UN human rights inquiry
GENEVA (Agencies): Indonesia called on Asian, African and South American states on Friday to block a Western attempt to launch a United Nations inquiry into alleged killings in East Timor.
The United States backed a European Union resolution for an investigation but Latin American and African delegations took the floor at the UN Commission on Human Rights against it.
"The vote could be close. Latin American countries will have the swing vote but they have been unenthusiastic," a diplomatic source said.
"Some delegations could hide behind abstentions."
Portugal, the former colonial power in East Timor, called for the two-day special session, the fourth in the Commission's 53- year history.
Some form of compromise could emerge, possibly a chairman's statement negotiated with Indonesia, a milder form of rebuke than a resolution, according to diplomats and UN sources.
The Philippines envoy on Friday backed Jakarta's plans for a national fact-finding commission, but not a UN investigation.
"We believe that the international community must provide support to this effort and not demean or undermine it by suggesting that it is welcome but not good enough without a parallel international inquiry," Manila's delegate said.
On Thursday, Japan, China, India and Pakistan signaled in speeches they would try to block any UN inquiry.
George Moose, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, expressed support for the UN investigation which would support Indonesia's own national inquiry into the bloodshed which erupted after the pro-independence ballot.
"It is important to send a signal to all parts of the world that gross violations of human rights will not be tolerated," said Moose, speaking on the second day of debate. Mozambique, Slovenia, Norway and Switzerland made similar statements.
Australia and New Zealand, observer states without voting rights, also spoke in favor of a inquiry to compile evidence.
The draft EU text calls on UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to set up a panel of experts to document crimes by pro-Jakarta militias with alleged complicity by Indonesian forces.
Similar commissions led to the establishment of UN war crimes tribunals for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
The inquiry could be the first step towards the establishment of a UN war crimes tribunal for East Timor and is supported by UN Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson.
Indonesia rejects the proposal, saying an international inquiry would only make the situation worse and make reconciliation more difficult. Instead, it wants to send its own fact-finding mission to East Timor.