U.S. does not support Papua

U.S. does not support Papua

I was deeply disappointed to read the assertion in The Jakarta
Post, Aug. 16 feature U.S. supports Papuan struggle, says Beanal,
that the United States government supports Papuan independence.
As I have made clear in two meetings with Mr. Beanal, the U.S.
government does not support independence for Papua, while
recognizing that the legitimate grievances of the Papuan people
need to be resolved within the framework of a stable, democratic
and united Indonesia. This embassy issued a public statement on
June 5 expressing our opposition to Papuan independence.

The U.S. position has not changed since we issued this
statement, not as a result of Mr. Beanal's recent travels in the
U.S. Despite the impression created in the Post article, Mr.
Beanal did not meet with President Clinton and did not obtain
expression of support for Papuan independence from the Clinton
administration.

The same article contains another inaccurate statement,
attributing to Mr. Beanal the comment that Papua "was robbed of
(its opportunity for independence) ... by the United States and
United Nations". This is a gross distortion of the constructive
role played by the United States in averting conflict between
Indonesia and the Netherlands when Papua was under Dutch
administration.

ROBERT S. GELBARD

Ambassador

U.S. Embassy, Jakarta