RI, E. Timor seal deal on past atrocities

RI, E. Timor seal deal on past atrocities

Ivy Susanti and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

East Timor President Xanana Gusmao said on Wednesday that the
Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF), jointly set up with
Indonesia, would seek to uncover the truth and not seek
vengeance.

"The Commission is committed to seeking the truth. The
commission is open to searching for the truth. Amnesty, impunity
are not the objectives of the commission," Xanana told the press
after formalizing the joint CTF.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Xanana and his
Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, signed an agreement at the
presidential palace here to set up the commission to deal with
human rights atrocities committed by pro-Jakarta militias in the
wake of the 1999 vote for independence in East Timor.

Alkatiri added that the commission would submit its findings
to the responsible institution as the basis for any decision-
making, whether it would be an amnesty for the perpetrator or
impunity.

"The commission has no political or judicial power. It can't
give an amnesty to anybody. This is a kind of commission of
experts, that can only make recommendations to institutions like
parliaments. The truth could help them to make decisions," he
said.

The agreement followed the making of a commitment by both
countries in December to the establishment of the commission,
which will start its two-year mission on Aug. 10.

Through the commission, both governments are trying to show
their goodwill in resolving the past abuses in Indonesia's former
province of East Timor, and have vowed to move forward toward
better bilateral cooperation in the future.

Observers have expressed skepticism about the joint
commission, arguing that it is merely a ploy by Indonesia to
whitewash any human rights violations and escape justice.

The Indonesian government has said that it was prioritizing an
amicable reconciliation, including between the violators and
victims.

But the United Nations is not convinced by the move. UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced last month that the UN
would create a Commission of Experts to review whether justice
had been done.

Susilo said that Indonesia considered the establishment of the
CTF as "the best and the most feasible means" of settling
residual problems with East Timor following its separation from
Indonesia.

"We want to build authentic friendship and cooperation with
East Timor in the future. I think it is better than the
establishment of a similar commission aimed at reviewing the
performance of the rights tribunal here as the legal process is
still ongoing," he said, referring to the UN commission.

Xanana said that his government accepted the UN commission,
which Indonesia termed "redundant", and hoped that it could
complement the Commission of Truth and Friendship.

"We will cooperate to reveal the truth," he said, adding that
there had been no concessions whatsoever to the Indonesian
government on the judicial processes against some Indonesian
military officers implicated in crimes against humanity.

The UN-sponsored Special Crimes Unit, set up in Dili to try
Indonesian soldiers and Timorese militiamen, had jailed 74
Timorese culprits, but was powerless to extradite Indonesian
commanders. The Unit is scheduled to close down when the UN
mission leaves East Timor in May.

The Indonesia's ad-hoc court wound up last year after
acquitting all but one of the 18 alleged perpetrators who
appeared before it.

The CTF will consist of five Indonesians and five Timorese,
appointed by the governments of each country, Xanana said. It
will set up office in Bali, and have complementary offices in
Jakarta and Dili. The commission will be funded by the Indonesian
and East Timorese governments.

Xanana expressed the hope that the commission would be able to
satisfy the wishes of both countries and the international
community.

"The Commission of Truth and Friendship will provide not only
both states, but also the rest of the international community,
with the necessary tools to understand clearly what went on in
1999," he said.