| Subject: US Envoy
Hopeful New Indonesia Govt Will Help E Timor Associated Press November 2, 1999
US Envoy Hopeful New Indonesia Govt Will Help E Timor
DILI, East Timor (AP)--The recent change of government in
Jakarta should help substantially in solving the problems of East Timor, U.S. Ambassador
to Indonesia Robert Gelbard said Tuesday.
Gelbard, who took up his post about four weeks ago, arrived
in Dili from Indonesian West Timor, where more than 200,000 East Timorese are staying in
refugee camps.
He said the accelerated repatriation of these refugees -
many of whom reportedly were forced to leave their homeland - was a major concern of the
United States. So far only about 35,000 have been sent back by land, sea and air.
Gelbard said militia intimidation of the refugees in West
Timor was a major concern, denying them a free choice over whether to return.
He said the situation has improved in recent weeks - as
shown in the increased number of returnees - "but there hasn't been sufficient
improvement yet."
He said, however, that he is "fully convinced"
the Cabinet installed last week by new Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid would take
effective measures to solve the problem and already has made commitments to Washington to
do so.
Gelbard was generous with praise for Wahid and his new
attorney general, Marzuki Darusman, who previously headed Indonesia's human rights
commission.
"This is the first time that Indonesia has become
truly democratic, and I think that's an important positive sign for the future of
Southeast Asia and the world," he said.
He also praised senior personnel in the U.N. operations
concerned with East Timor, as well as Australian Maj. Gen. Peter Cosgrove, head of the
international peacekeeping force.
Gelbard expressed concern, however, about the snail's pace
at which the U.N.'s human rights component has been mobilizing to investigate abuses by
the militias.
"I just hope that they begin to pursue their work with
greater alacrity, greater speed, including getting their forensics experts here
rapidly," he said.
"They're not here yet, and I don't understand that,
especially with the rainy season coming. I think the U.N. really has to move with greater
speed on this."
Gelbard expressed special concern that those responsible
for the murder of a Dutch journalist in a Dili suburb be brought to justice.
Subject: Interview w/Amb. Gelbard: US steps up Timor
demands
Australian Broadcasting Corporation AM New -Wednesday,
November 3, 1999 8:13
US steps up Timor demands
COMPERE: The United States is stepping up the pressure in
East Timor, demanding action from the new Indonesian Cabinet to rein in the Indonesian
Army and the militia still active in West Timor. And, as Rafael Epstein reports from Dili,
America's ambassador to Jakarta, Robert Gelbard, says he doesn't understand why the UN
special forensic investigators aren't already in East Timor.
RAFAEL EPSTEIN: Robert Gelbard has a mission, to make sure
everyone from the Indonesian Army through to the UN hears and understands what America
thinks about Timor. His first message, "bad things are happening in the
militia-controlled camps in West Timor, where hundreds of thousands of East Timorese are
trapped.." Mr Gelbard says the new Indonesian Cabinet must ensure there's a dramatic
increase in the number of refugees leaving those camps.
ROBERT GELBARD: There is still very good reason to be
concerned about the activities of the militias in the camps. There is no question that the
militias remain active in the camps and remain a force for intimidation for those who
would wish voluntarily to return to East Timor. Our view, of course, is that people have
free choice. Those who want to return to East Timor must be allowed to do so without any
kind of intimidation, without any kind of fear, from the militias or from anybody else.
RAFAEL EPSTEIN: Robert Gelbard's only been in Jakarta for a
month and has already been criticised by the Chairman of the Indonesian Parliament, Amien
Rais, for trying to unduly influence the makeup of the new government. Now, from Dili, Mr
Gelbard wants the new government to act. Rogue elements of the Indonesian Army must be
controlled, he says, and the militia must be reined in.
ROBERT GELBARD: We expect the Government of Indonesia - and
this is very important - we expect the Government of Indonesia to have complete control
over this. We expect there to be no cross-border operations or actions by these groups and
we expect them to be disarmed. I am optimistic. There's clearly been progress, significant
progress over the last three to four weeks. There's been a lot of progress over the last
week. I want to be very clear about that. But, more progress needs to be made and that
progress needs to be on an accelerated basis.
RAFAEL EPSTEIN: Mr Gelbard also has a message for the UN in
Geneva. While he says the UN transitional authority in Dili is doing well, he claims the
UN's commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in East Timor is dragging its feet,
and that vital evidence will soon disappear when the wet season sets in perhaps a few
weeks.
ROBERT GELBARD: I think it's important the commission of
inquiry set up by the United Nations pursue its work. I just hope they begin to pursue
their work with greater alacrity and greater speed, including getting their forensics
experts here rapidly. They're not here yet and I don't understand that.
COMPERE: The US Ambassador to Jakarta speaking in East
Timor.
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