World ups pressure on Indonesia

World ups pressure on Indonesia

AUCKLAND (Agencies): U.S. President Bill Clinton led an
international chorus on Saturday calling on Indonesia to let in
international peacekeeping force in East Timor.

Clinton, in Auckland for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit, said it was imperative Indonesia request a United
Nations peace-keeping force.

Asked about a UN force for East Timor, Clinton said: "I think
the United Nations will support such an endeavor if the
Indonesians will request it. I think it is imperative that they
do so."

While the tone was diplomatic, it was the strongest message
yet to come from Clinton, who also announced earlier the
suspension of American military sales to Indonesia.

"Today we suspended all military sales, and continue to work
to try to persuade the Indonesians to support the United Nations'
operation to go in and help to end the violence and secure the
safety of the people there," he said during a picture-taking
session with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

The White House said the move would affect $100 million in
military purchases from the United States and American commercial
military suppliers.

Mike Hammer, spokesman for the White House National Security
Council, said $2.5 million in pending direct government-to-
government purchases had been stopped, and $40 million in direct
commercial sales.

He said a portion of about $400 million in direct U.S.
commercial military sales would also be stopped, bringing the
total to about $100 million in suspended sales.

The UN Security Council was scheduled to hold an open debate
on East Timor on Saturday to allow UN members to give their views
on Indonesia's failure to stop the bloodshed in East Timor.

Council President Peter van Walsum of the Netherlands said the
council would not adopt a resolution or issue a statement on
Saturday, but would resume its debate after the return to New
York early next week of a five-member council mission that has
been in Jakarta and East Timor.

Van Walsum read a council press statement endorsing a demand
by Secretary-General Kofi Annan for Indonesia to accept the
assistance of an international force in in East Timor.

The statement welcomed the fact that a number of governments
had indicated to Annan their willingness to participate in such a
force.

Annan told Indonesia on Friday to immediately accept a
peacekeeping force for East Timor or face responsibility for what
could amount to crimes against humanity.

In Amsterdam, Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok said time was
running out for the international community to decide on taking
further steps in East Timor if Indonesian authorities continued
to oppose sending a peacekeeping force.

"We must continue to exert maximum pressure on Jakarta. But
time is running out quickly. So quickly that this weekend or next
weekend, we must decide on further steps," Kok said as quoted by
Dutch news agency ANP.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in Auckland that
his country, New Zealand, Malaysia, Britain, Canada, the
Philippines and Portugal had given firm commitments to
participate in a UN-mandated peacekeeping force in East Timor if
Indonesia consented to such a force.

Howard said the United States, Sweden, Thailand and France had
agreed in principle to support such a force in a way that had yet
to be defined.

"The U.S. offer has gone well beyond logistical support," he
said.

Howard had said previously that up to 8,000 peacekeepers would
be needed for such a force, which Australia would lead.

He said such a force would need Indonesian consent. "We have
no quarrel with the people of Indonesia."

Howard said Portugal had agreed to offer two battalions of
troops, Canada "a couple of hundred" troops, New Zealand 400 to
500 troops and Britain a warship plus a detachment of unspecified
number. He said Malaysia's offer was "significant", but that he
would leave it to Malaysia to give details.

Howard said other countries would be asked to make financial
contributions to the force.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Don McKinnon said he believed
Indonesia had moved closer to inviting a UN-backed force into
East Timor.

"Every kind of phrase coming out of either Alatas' office (or)
Habibie's office is that that day is moving closer, and certainly
the recognition that there will be an international force there
is now more 'when' rather than 'if'.

Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy -- speaking to
reporters in Canada by phone from Auckland -- said Indonesian
Foreign Minister Ali Alatas had agreed to cooperate with a
multinational aid initiative.

Humanitarian assistance would be brought to West Timor, which
would be used as a staging area for helping East Timorese who
have been displaced by violence by militias unhappy with an
overwhelming vote to separate from Indonesia.

Axworthy said Indonesian authorities had made it quite clear
that they would not be able to provide security for aid workers
to cross into East Timor itself.

"There's a message there all of itself," Axworthy said.

Asked if Canada would apply economic sanctions, cutting off
wheat sales or aid, for instance, Axworthy said: "There are
officials looking at that, in conjunction with other countries,
and that would, I think, be part of the UN discussions, because
again to apply any economic measures we would be looking for a UN
mandate."

Indonesia is one of Canada's biggest wheat customers, taking
719,000 tons in the 1998-99 crop season.

In Paris, the French Defense Ministry said it had decided to
send a frigate currently based at Noumea, New Caledonia to the
area.

The ship was one of three deployed in the Pacific, a second
also being based in Noumea and a third at Papeete.

France had four light frigates that were several days sailing
from East Timor, two in or near the Pacific territory of New
Caledonia, one in or near Tahiti and the fourth at Reunion island
in the Indian ocean.

The frigates each weighed 2,600 tons, carried anti-ship and
anti-aircraft missiles as well as a 100-millimeter gun. Each had
a reconnaissance helicopter aboard and was capable of embarking
commandos, the sources told Reuters.

Amnesty International issued its "urgent action" scheme for an
entire population, fearing for the future of East Timor.

The scheme is a system of rapid response by a worldwide
network of activists which aims to rescue people from human
rights emergencies, AFP reported from Sydney.

"Amnesty International fears for the entire population of East
Timor as armed pro-Indonesian militias and Indonesian troops
continue to have complete control of the territory," the human
rights watchdog said in a statement.