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)