Subject: National Council of Churches on East Timor
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 09:08:02 -0500
From: Asedi@aol.comNCC Urges U.S., U.N. Pressure Against Militarization of East Timor
February 16, 1999 -- Alarmed at reports that the Indonesian military has provided arms
to residents of East Timor and created para-military groups, National Council of Churches
General Secretary Joan Campbell is urging the United States and United Nations to press
for disarmament, lest conditions "lead to strife and violence similar to that
witnessed by the international community in Somalia and Rwanda."
The Rev. Dr. Campbell addressed letters to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and to
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
"We welcome the recent announcement by the Indonesian government that they may now
consider independence an option for East Timor," she wrote in letters released today
(Feb. 13). "However, reports that the Indonesian military has provided arms to
residents of that territory and created para-military groups are completely at odds with
the framework of governance being discussed under United Nations auspices.
"We understand from reliable sources as well as via the media that the sense of
insecurity and level of tension among the people of East Timor has increased and that
potential for further violence is great. In order for the human rights of the people of
East Timor to be preserved and protected and new arrangements for governance to be
explored in a climate of calm and careful planning, we believe it is important for the
international community to take immediate action.
"First, the arming of civilians by the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) must stop
and the Indonesian military must withdraw from the territory in a swift but orderly
fashion," Dr. Campbell wrote. "Given the record of human rights abuses by the
ABRI forces, we are convinced that their continued presence will extend the suffering of
the East Timorese people. Second, the United Nations should send an international
monitoring force to East Timor as soon as possible to oversee the disarming of the
paramilitary and the withdrawal of troops as well as to provide protection to the
population against human rights abuses."
Dr. Campbell urged both Secretary General Annan and Secretary of State Albright to
"consider these measures urgently" and Albright to press these concerns in
bilateral discussions with the Indonesian government and in multilateral discussions with
relevant parties at the United Nations."
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