U.S. wants trial over E. Timor mayhem

U.S. wants trial over E. Timor mayhem

JAKARTA (JP): The United States warned on Friday that military
cooperation between Washington and Jakarta would only be restored
if those responsible for atrocities in East Timor last year were
brought to justice.

"There are serious requirements that have to be established
before this (the military cooperation) can be carried out, and
that includes the accountability for what happened in East
Timor," visiting U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political
Affairs Thomas R. Pickering told a news conference.

Speaking to reporters at the end of his two-day visit here,
Pickering said the trial of alleged perpetrators of East Timor
violence would be "preliminary to beginning further military
cooperation" between the two countries.

Washington suspended its military ties with Jakarta over the
East Timor mayhem that erupted after the people there voted
overwhelmingly against an autonomy proposal within Indonesia in
the UN-administered ballot in August last year.

The government-sanctioned Commission of Inquiry into Human
Rights Violations (KPP HAM) in East Timor has implicated former
Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Wiranto and a number of
senior officers in the violence.

Pickering added that the return of refugees from East Nusa
Tenggara to East Timor was another important factor that would be
taken into account before resuming military cooperation between
the two countries.

"The refugees' situation (in East Nusa Tenggara) is a high
priority on our list," Pickering said.

U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard, who was also
present on Friday, said "there is considerable concern in our
congress and also in the executive branch" about the refugees in
East Nusa Tenggara.

Pickering also said that Washington backed President
Abdurrahman Wahid's determination to maintain the country's
unity, but urged him not to resort to military might to crush a
separatist rebellion in the troubled province of Aceh.

"The U.S. strongly supports Indonesia's efforts at political
and economic reform and of course supports Indonesia's
territorial integrity and is not in favor of dividing up
Indonesia," Pickering said.

While hailing Indonesia's democratic transition, Pickering
warned that the current offensive by the security forces to stamp
out rebels of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) was unlikely to settle
the conflict.

"We don't believe the problem can be resolved ... by the use
of military force," Pickering said. "We believe the problem must
be resolved through the process of dialogue, discussions and
negotiations."

More than 100 people, mostly civilians, have died in a series
of operations to pound the rebel bases across the province in
February alone.

Pickering added that "the door is now open to listen to and
hear the concerns of the leaders and people in Aceh".

The rebels are demanding an East Timor-style independence
referendum that would determine whether the region of four
million people on the northwestern tip of Sumatra island breaks
away or remains part of Indonesia.

Abdurrahman has overruled the possibility of holding such a
referendum. Instead, he has offered wide-ranging autonomy to the
staunchly Muslim province, including the imposition of Islamic
law. (byg)