UN rights chief asked to visit East Timor
UN rights chief asked to visit East Timor
GENEVA (Agencies): The United Nations Human Rights Commission
yesterday committed Indonesia to inviting Jose Ayala Lassio, the
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to East Timor this year.
The recommendation was made in a statement by Commission
chairman Musa bin Hitam of Malaysia in a consensus declaration
that Jakarta is forced to accept, Reuters reported.
Ayala Lassio, an Ecuadorean, will be the highest-ranking UN
official ever to visit East Timor.
Musa expressed the Commission's "deep concern" over
allegations of continuing violations of human rights in East
Timor, including the recent killing of six villagers.
Portugal and Ireland had apparently been calling for a
stronger-worded statement by the 53-member commission, but the
European Union pushed instead for a consensus "chairman's
statement" and negotiated its terms with the Indonesia.
The Indonesian delegation in Geneva is led by the foreign
ministry's Director General of Political Affairs Izhar Ibrahim
and includes director of international organizations Hasan
Wirayuda and senior Timorese politician Lopez da Cruz.
Attempts by East Timor separatist leaders for a resolution
condemning Indonesia was rejected by the commission.
The chairman statement followed the presentation of a report
by UN rapporteur Bacre Waly Ndiaye who visited East Timor.
There was no immediate reaction from Jakarta to the chairman
statement but Irawan Abidin, the chief spokesman of the
Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, earlier in the day
denounced Ndiaye's report as "unbalanced."
In his report, Ndiaye called for the Indonesian government to
reopen investigations of the November 1991 clash between
demonstrators and security forces that killed over 60 people.
Ndiaye argued that troops recklessly fired on unarmed
demonstrators and indicated that the whole affair might not have
been the simple accident that the military has suggested.
He strongly recommended that, with the possible aid of the UN,
a new inquiry team be formed by Jakarta.
"I would like to repeat the words of the minister who stated
that his (Ndiaye's) report is not objective," Irawan said,
quoting Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Alatas.
The acting director of international organizations, Djumantoro
P. Purbo, told the Post yesterday that the Indonesian
delegation's main objective was to kill any reference pertaining
to Indonesia and East Timor in the chairman's statement.
The delegation faced a difficult job, especially with the
advent of the Liquisa incident, where Indonesian troops allegedly
murdered six civilians.
Irawan said Indonesia hoped the UNHRC would take into
consideration Jakarta's sincere efforts to establish an inquiry
into the Liquisa incident.
"That is a very positive move by the government," he said,
adding that the recent findings in the preliminary investigation
of the incident will soon be followed up.
He believes that this will help to "balance out" all the
negative reports being fed to the UNHRC. (mds/emb)