| Subject: CONG: Sen. Leahy on Resumption of
Full IMET for Indonesia
Reaction of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, To Secretary Rice's Determination That The Indonesian Government And Military Are Cooperating With The FBI's Investigation Of The August 2002 Timika Massacre, In Which Two American Citizens And One Indonesian Citizen Were Murdered Monday, Feb. 28, 2005 "The Secretary's determination is premature and unfortunate. The only reason there has been any progress in this case is due to pressure from Congress and Patsy Spier, the widow of one of the victims. Now the Secretary, in one of her first acts, has thrown away the last bit of leverage we had. "Why hasn't the one person indicted by the United States, who has confessed to the crime, been indicted and arrested in Indonesia? One can only surmise that since he has implicated the Indonesian military, they don't want the FBI to interview him. This is not cooperation with the FBI, no matter what the Administration says. I hope the Bush Administration has not forgotten that two of the murder victims were Americans. "In his inaugural address, President Bush spoke of standing up for human rights, but when it comes to the cold-blooded murder of two American teachers and one Indonesian, the Secretary's decision will be seen by the Indonesian military authorities who have tried to obstruct justice as a friendly pat on the back." # # # # # -- Karen Orenstein Washington Coordinator East Timor Action Network: 13 Years for Self-determination and Justice 202-544-6911 (t/f) karen@etan.org; www.etan.org
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