TEMPO, Monday, 30 August, 2004 | 21:45 WIB
UN Expert Commission to Be Denied Access to Indonesia
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Indonesian foreign affairs department spokesman Marty
Natalegawa has said that the Indonesian government will not allow the United Nations
Expert Commission to enter Indonesia as it would be highly inappropriate to authorize
a third party institution to evaluate and monitor a legal process that still prevails in a
sovereign country.
In addition, the government could not confirm the recommendations that would be
given by such a commission.
"It could present a previously determined conclusion to the case," Natalegawa told
reporters on Friday (27/08) in Jakarta.
As reported earlier, the governments of European Union countries, the USA and New
Zealand expressed their disappointment over the ruling made in the case of East
Timor human rights violations follwoing the 1999 ballot, which released Indonesian
Military (TNI) and police officials from any charges.
The EU had stated its support for the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's plan to
establish an expert commission into the case.
Natalegawa said that Indonesia is ready to face the possibility of pressure being
brought to bear by the international community over the settlement of the East Timor
case.
He added that the settlement of the case was the responsibility of Indonesia and East
Timor, not the UN.
Moreover, both the Indonesian and East Timorese governments have stated their
refusal over Annan's plan to establish the Expert Commission. (Faisal-Tempo News
Room)
copyright TEMPO 2003
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