RI says UN statement on E. Timor acceptable
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia says a statement by the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) about human rights in East Timor acknowledged progress made by Jakarta in the territory, although it also expressed some concerns.
A senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Indonesia find the statement issued at the end of the commission conference in Geneva last Wednesday "acceptable".
Director of International Organizations Hasan Wirayuda told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that the Chairman's Statement did not lambaste the situation in East Timor.
He noted that most of the points in the statement specifically expressed either "satisfaction" or "welcome" towards various developments and initiatives on East Timor.
The "deep concern" expressed in the statement was over alleged reports of human rights violations in East Timor, he said. "It did not make judgments on the situation itself."
The former Portuguese colony of East Timor was integrated as part of Indonesia in 1976. The UN however has not officially recognized the integration and regards Lisbon as the administering power.
Hasan was part of the Indonesian delegation headed by the Director General for Political Affairs Izhar Ibrahim at the Geneva meetings. The Indonesian delegation took an active part in the deliberation to draft the chairman statement.
This is the third consecutive year that a chairman's statement was issued, rather than a resolution, with regard to the situation in East Timor.
Among the progress noted in the statement, as pointed out by Hasan, was satisfaction over the greater access given to international media and humanitarian organizations.
On the question of "future presence of human rights organizations" in East Timor as said in the statement, Hasan said this actually pointed to a technical cooperation program in the field of human rights.
The possibility of assigning a program officer at the UN office in Jakarta is a follow-up to the Memorandum of Intent on technical cooperation in human rights signed last year and not meant to assume a monitoring role of human rights practices.
Hasan said Indonesia has agreed to invite a "thematic rapporteur" instead of "special rapporteur" from the United Nations to visit the country in 1997.
A "thematic rapporteur's" is issue-oriented and not designated to investigate a specific country while the term "special rapporteur" can imply a person who is assigned towards a specific country for gross human violations.
With regard to earlier reports suggesting that the chairman statement called on Indonesia to fully investigate the 1991 Dili incident, Hasan said the statement merely stated the need for further clarification on the circumstances surrounding the incident.
"This means that they (commission members) have accepted our report and just want further clarification," he said.
An Indonesian independent commission investigating the incident said that "around 50" were killed in the incident in which East Timorese demonstrators clashed with soldiers.
Several military officers responsible for the incident have since been punished. (mds)