UN presses Jakarta to hold East Timor trials
UN presses Jakarta to hold East Timor trials
UNITED NATIONS (Agencies): The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) urged Indonesia to bring to justice those responsible for atrocities in East Timor but shied away from recommending or even mentioning an international tribunal.
The council urged Indonesia to create a transparent, legal process that conforms with international standards and said swift and effective action by the government would help mend relations with East Timor.
The council, in a letter to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, was acknowledging a Jan. 31 report from a UN investigating team that recommended a UN tribunal be set up to prosecute those involved in the violence.
However, the council made no mention of the tribunal and instead welcomed the government's commitment to take action "through Indonesia's national judicial system".
"Grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law have been committed; those responsible for these violations should be brought to justice as soon as possible," council president Arnoldo Listre of Argentina said in a letter to Annan circulated on Wednesday.
Listre wrote that council members were "particularly conscious that early and effective action by the government of Indonesia would contribute to improved relations between the peoples of Indonesia and East Timor".
"To that end, they encourage Indonesia to institute a swift, comprehensive, effective and transparent legal process, in conformity with international standards of justice and due process of law," Listre wrote.
The accountability of those responsible for the violations "would be a key factor in ensuring reconciliation and stability in East Timor," he added.
Council members also encouraged Annan to consult with the Indonesian government on any assistance it might need from the United Nations.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has supported Indonesia's right to mount a trial.
Indonesia has said that the first trial could take place in three months.
On Wednesday, UN peacekeepers officially took over from an Australian-led multinational force which came into East Timor following the Aug. 30 ballot.