UN issues resolution on Bali bomb probe

UN issues resolution on Bali bomb probe

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) strongly condemned on
Monday the Bali attacks and urged the international community to
work together and help Indonesia see that justice was done and
the perpetrators punished swiftly.

Reaffirming the need to combat terrorist in accordance with
resolution 1373 (2001) enacted on Sept. 28, 2001 which deals with
terrorism, the Council unanimously and swiftly adopted Resolution
1438 which essentially calls for the Indonesian government to
allow other countries to come here and investigate the attack as
well as "to combat (terror) by all means".

"The Security Council condemns in the strongest terms the bomb
attacks in Bali, Indonesia on Oct. 12, 2002 in which so many
lives were claimed and people injured," the resolution said.

It also was quite clear that the incident posed a serious
threat to international peace and security and cooperation was
thus necessary to stop it.

In Jakarta, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the
resolution, saying that its adoption was the result of diplomatic
efforts to secure the full support from the international
community to the government and people of Indonesia in combating
terrorism.

"The Indonesian government welcomes the adoption of UN
resolution 1438," said an official statement made available on
Tuesday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said on Tuesday
that the vote was unanimous in the Security Council.

The UN also expressed its deepest condolences and sympathy to
the government and people of Indonesia, and to the victims of the
bomb attacks and their families.

"The Security Council urges all states, in accordance with
their obligations under resolution 1373 (2001), to work together
urgently and to cooperate with and provide support and
assistance, as appropriate, to the Indonesian authorities in
their efforts to find and bring to justice the perpetrators,
organizers and the sponsors of these terrorist attacks," the
resolution said.

The four-point resolution was issued in the wake of the Bali
bombing on Saturday night which claimed over 180 lives, and
injured more than 300, most of whom were international tourists,
on the resort island for a relaxing holiday.

Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Jeremy Greenstock,
said the council consulted Indonesia before voting on the
possibly sensitive issue.

"The Indonesians are reeling from this, and they did want to
hear some expressions of international support," he said as
quoted by Agence France-Presse.

Greenstock who heads the council's counter-terrorism
committee, set up in late September last year, said: "I don't
think the committee can go on doing its work and not take account
of an event of this magnitude."

The council was concerned, not just at the lives lost, "but
also the effect on the economy of a country that is trying to
develop into a mature and prosperous nation," he said.

"This was a bad one, and the people who did it are to be
condemned utterly and absolutely for their indiscriminate
killing ... we know what the cause was in this particular case,"
Greenstock added.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said he thought
the attack was the second largest terror attack after the New
York and Washington catastrophes on Sept. 11 last year.

Marty said on Monday that citizens from around 20 countries
had become victims of the bombing.