Shattuck meets human rights activists in East Timor

Shattuck meets human rights activists in East Timor

DILI (JP): U.S. Undersecretary of State for Democracy, Human
Rights and Labor John Shattuck spent the last day of his two-day
visit here yesterday meeting human rights activists.

Shattuck gathered first-hand information on human rights
issues from the local branch of the National Commission on Human
Rights.

Accompanied by U.S. ambassador J. Stapleton Roy, he also held
a closed meeting with activists of the Commission for Justice and
Peace, which was founded by the Dili diocese.

In his 30-minute meeting with Shattuck, human rights
commission branch chief Alex Refially said that since it was
founded 10 months ago, the rights body had helped resolve 32
cases.

Refially said no government official, military officer or
member of the public had raised objections to the commission.

"We have to be selective about complaints filed with the
commission because not all claims are accounted for," he said.

Later in a press briefing in Denpasar's Ngurah Rai airport on
his way back to Jakarta, Shattuck said he had a fruitful fact-
finding visit in the troubled territory of East Timor.

"It has been a fruitful visit to East Timor, stressing the
urgency of the dialogue being promoted under the auspices of the
UN secretary-general," he was quoted by AFP as saying.

The UN has sponsored talks between Indonesia and Portugal
since 1983 to seek a peaceful solution to the question of East
Timor's sovereignty.

The UN does not recognize Indonesia's integration of East
Timor in 1976 and considers Portugal, the territory's former
colonial master, as its administrator.

Shattuck also met the chairman of East Timor's Action for
Development and Progress Foundation, Florentino Sarmento, and the
rector of Universitas Timor Timur, Armindo Maia.

They refused to comment on their meetings. (33/pan)