UNHRC report not a setback

UNHRC report not a setback

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia played down a United Nations Human
Rights Commission (UNHRC) statement of concern on East Timor and
denied there were any negative aspects to UN human rights
commissioner Jose Ayala Lassio's trip to the province.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs here refuted suggestions that
the UNHRC's findings were a setback to Indonesia's efforts at
painting a positive picture of its development projects in East
Timor.

Last Wednesday, during an annual session in Geneva, the UNHRC
criticized Indonesia for human rights abuses in East Timor in a
consensus declaration.

East Timor is a former Portuguese colony which integrated into
Indonesia in 1976 and has since become an Indonesian province.

The 53-member group also called on Jakarta to accept a visit
by Lassio to inspect the situation in the province.

Lassio's impending journey will mark the highest level visit
by any UN representative to East Timor.

"After comparing last year's report to this year's, we found
there was not much difference," Irawan Abidin, the foreign
ministry's director of information, told The Jakarta Post.

Last year Indonesia was successful in averting a UNHRC
condemnation resolution.

However, this year a set of circumstances weighed heavily
against Jakarta's case.

The first was the alleged killing of civilians by Armed Forces
personnel in Liquisa regency and the second was UN special
rapporteur Bacre Waly Ndaye's stinging report on East Timor.

In his report, Ndaye called for a new inquiry into the 1991
Dili incident, in which over 50 demonstrators were killed, and
suggested that the tragic affair was not accidental.

Jakarta on Thursday denounced Ndaye's report as unbalanced and
not objective.

In anticipation of the difficult job in Geneva, the foreign
ministry sent Director General of Political Affairs Izhar Ibrahim
to lead the Indonesian delegation.

Commenting on Lassio's future arrival here, Irawan said that
the UN commissioner would be welcomed and Jakarta would invite
the world objectively view the positive developments achieved in
East Timor.

Irawan further said that prior to this year's UNHRC session,
Jakarta had already agreed to allow Lassio to visit the province.
It was only a matter of scheduling which delayed his arrival,
Irawan noted.

"That he was mentioned is just a coincidence," Irawan
remarked.

Irawan also wished to correct a statement in the leading story
on this page on Thursday, in which he commented on a discrepancy
in the findings by two separate investigations into the Liquisa
affair.

Irawan was reported to have said that he was not surprised at
the findings of the National Commission on Human Rights and the
Officers' Honor Council.

He clarified that he meant the Commission and the Armed Forces
fact-finding team, not the Officer's Honor Council.

Irawan pointed out that both investigations -- the National
Commission on Human Rights and ABRI's inquiry -- would provide
useful input into the recommendations of the Officers' Honor
Council. (mds)