Papua's removal from U.S. bill 'welcome'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia has greeted with a sigh of relief a decision by the United States Congress to omit references to Papua from the State Department Authorization Bill, saying it reflected the consistent support of both the U.S. government and Congress for Indonesia's national integrity.

Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marty Natalegawa said the removal of the references to Papua from the bill was welcome.

"It is a positive development that is in accordance with our efforts to gain support from both the United States government and Congress for the NKRI," Marty told Antara, referring to the Indonesian acronym for the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.

The ministry considers the move to be the fruit of persistent diplomatic efforts by "all elements of the nation", Marty said.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the State Department Authorization Bill in July. Among many other issues affecting nations around the world, it questioned the incorporation of Papua into Indonesia following the so-called Act of Free Choice in 1969, in which carefully selected Papuan representatives voted for the territory to remain part of Indonesia.

The bill also referred to human rights abuses committed by the Indonesian Military (TNI) there, and would have obliged the U.S. government to endorse an investigation by the United Nations into the 1969 event 180 days after the bill's enactment into law.

A bill needs approval from both the House of Representatives and Senate before being discussed with the administration.

Even if the Senate agrees to accept a bill proposed by the House of Representatives, the U.S. president can still veto its enactment.

However, the references to Papua in the bill sparked uproar among Indonesian politicians.

During a visit to the U.S. in September, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that Papua was "Indonesia's domestic affair". He has also called on the U.S. and other nations to "respect Indonesia's territorial integrity".

International affairs expert Dewi Fortuna Anwar said the removal of the references to Papua was "a friendly gesture by the United States in respecting the integrity of Indonesia".

"We should welcome the efforts by all sides in favor of Indonesia both inside and outside Congress to scrap the references to Papua in the bill," she said.

Dewi, who is a researcher with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), also praised the efforts of the country's diplomats and foreign parties regarding the issues.

She called on the government to maintain good relationships not only with foreign governments but also non-governmental organizations, media interests and academics to enable Indonesia to give its side of the story about developments in Papua.