UN will not send mission to Atambua

UN will not send mission to Atambua

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab said in
New York the United Nations Security Council had agreed not to
send a mission to Indonesia in the wake of the murder of three UN
workers in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara.

Alwi said he met with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and
members of the Security Council, and they agreed with Indonesia's
proposal that they instead send their Jakarta-based ambassadors
to Atambua.

"Both Annan and the foreign ministers of the member countries
(of the Security Council), whom I met with one-on-one, eventually
understood Indonesia's position. Therefore, I can assure you the
UN mission will not come to Jakarta," Alwi was quoted by Antara
as saying in New York.

Alwi said Jakarta eventually would allow a UN mission to visit
Atambua after steps had been taken to restore security in the
border town.

"When the situation has returned to normal, and if it is
deemed necessary, Indonesia will invite the UN mission to see
what we have done to resolve the problem," Alwi said.

The minister's remarks came after a Cabinet meeting in Jakarta
on Tuesday deliberated the proposed UN visit and deemed it
"inappropriate".

Complaint

Meanwhile in Jakarta, East Nusa Tenggara Governor Piet A.
Tallo said the United Nations and the international community
were mourning the death of the three international workers, while
seemingly ignoring the fact that seven locals also died in the
incident.

Speaking to journalists after meeting with President
Abdurrahman Wahid at Merdeka Palace, the governor accused the
international community of being indifferent to the suffering of
the people of East Nusa Tenggara as a result of the presence of
the East Timorese refugees.

The governor also blamed the media for blowing up the incident
without stopping to consider the damage it could do to the unity
and cohesion of the nation.

"For the last year the people in my province have lost their
peaceful lives. Do they care about that?" the governor charged.

He went on to say the UN must learn from the deaths of its
workers, saying the incident was related to the behavior and
partiality of the world body in dealing with refugees.

Meanwhile, the chairman of House of Representatives Commission
I for security, political and foreign affairs, Yasril Ananta
Baharuddin, said the House supported the government's move not to
allow the UN team to visit Atambua.

"People should unite to face foreign threats; it's not narrow
nationalism," he remarked.

He also said his commission decided on Wednesday to establish
a team to be sent to Atambua next week to help investigate the
matter.

"We will visit Atambua and meet parties related to the case,"
said Yasril, who is a Golkar Party legislator.

The deputy chairman of the commission, Maj. Gen. Ferry
Tinggogoy, said he would lead the 10-member team, scheduled to
leave for Atambua on Monday.

"Our main mission is to investigate the recent attack by
refugees on the UNHCR office, and all of the social problems
related to the presence of refugees in the province," he said
following a meeting with Coordinating Minister for Political,
Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and
ministers under Susilo's coordination.

I Wayan Karya, the spokesman for Susilo's office, said
representatives of the government, the UN Transitional Authority
for East Timor (UNTAET), the National Council for East Timor
Resistance (CNRT) and East Timorese militias and refugees would
meet in Denpasar on Thursday to seek a comprehensive solution to
the problems along the border between Indonesia and East Timor.

He said Bambang and Indonesian Military Commander Adm. Widodo
A.S. would represent the government at the meeting, while the
refugees and militias would send a delegation led by Eurico
Guterres.

"Sergio de Mello and Xanana Gusmao are expected to represent
UNTAET and CNRT, respectively," he said.

Meanwhile, an observer of international affairs, Dafri Agus
Salim from Gadjah Mada University, warned the government of a
possible anti-Indonesia backlash in the international community.

Dafri, who lectures on international affairs at the
university's Department of Social and Political Sciences, said
the government must prove it has a strong case for rejecting the
UN mission. (prb/byg/jun/44/rms)