Statement

By

H.E. Dr. Makarim Wibisono Permanent Representative

of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations

Before the Security Council on the Situation in East Timor

New York, 27 July 2000

Madame President,

My delegation has noted the comprehensive report of the Secretary-General contained in document S/2000/738. Having participated in the meeting of the Council on 27 June 2000 concerning the situation in East Timor, we will confine our intervention to the developments that have taken place over the last month.

As affirmed in the said report, the Government of Indonesia has established a satisfactory level of cooperation with the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) since the inception of its mandate by the Security Council. Significant developments reflective of Indonesia’s sincere cooperation and support for the development of East Timor have included, among others, the visit of President Wahid to Dili on 29 February 2000 and the signing of a Joint Communiqué containing issues to be resolved in order to establish a friendly and mutually beneficial relations between Indonesia and East Timor. The two sides are committed to take measures among others the promotion of trade and communication, provision on legal cooperation, the establishment of representative offices in Jakarta, Dili and Kupang, and the continued access by East Timorese to Indonesian educational institutions.

As a result of intensive discussions that took place in Jakarta on legal matters on 6 April 2000, the Government of Indonesia and UNTAET concluded a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Legal, Judicial and Human Rights matters. In the context of implementing the said understanding, the Indonesian authorities have continued to extend every form of assistance to bringing the perpetrators of alleged human rights violations to justice.  In this regard, a team from the Indonesian Attorney-General’s Office arrived in Dili on 19 July 2000 for a 10-day mission, the purpose of which is to collect evidence and testimony in connection with the five priority criminal cases to be presented by Indonesia. During this visit, the Indonesian team met with officials from the UNTAET Serious Crimes Unit, the Political Office and the Human Rights Office.

As has been acknowledged in the report, the security situation has been generally stable. In line with the Memorandum of Understanding regarding Tactical Coordination in the Border Area to enhance Cooperation, signed between the Commander of East Nusa Tengarra and UNTAET’s Force Commander, on 11 April 2000, the Indonesian Armed Forces, in fulfilling its responsibility for security on its side of the border, deployed additional battalions on the border to assure security and stability. These renewed efforts have resulted in an even more quieter situation.

Indonesia’s cooperation is further evident with a number of agreements reached with UNTAET on three rounds of negotiations. Following the third round of negotiations in Surabaya early this month, the two sides agreed inter alia to establish a Joint Border Committee which will be entrusted with the task of establishing a border regime including the demarcation of the borders between East Nusa Tenggara and East Timor, and the delineation of maritime boundary between Indonesia and East Timor.  This Committee, to be comprised of officials from the Indonesian Government and the representatives of the UNTAET, is expected to work in the near future to initially establish a regime for cross-border passing and visits of Indonesians and East Timorese. In addition, the Government of Indonesia and UNTAET are currently working on arrangements regarding transit between the Oecussi enclave and the rest of East Timor. The question of pensions of former East Timorese employees living in East Timor is also being addressed by the two sides.

Madame President,

My delegation deems it pertinent to reiterate that there are no easy solutions to the multi-faceted problem of the refugees in East Nusa Tenggara. From the outset, the Indonesian Government has spared no effort to extending its cooperation to work with the UNTAET, the UNHCR and other relevant international humanitarian organizations to expedite the repatriation of refugees.  Over the past few months, 167,000 refugees have been reintegrated into East Timorese society which has been depicted to be “generally smooth.

Despite these endeavors, the repatriation of the remaining refugees in East Nusa Tenggara would be greatly facilitated upon adequate guarantees being given to them concerning basic necessities, including food, shelter and security in East Timor.  A successful resolution to this problem requires the much-needed assistance of the international community. Simultaneously, the responsibility for the refugees is a collective one and hence, the United Nations has an important role to play in addressing the concerns of the refugees.

My delegation regrets the decision of the UNHCR to temporarily close its office in Betun due to security concerns while conducting the registration exercise of refugees. We have noted, however, that the UNHCR will continue to undertake its activities from Atambua. In addressing these concerns as well as in expediting the repatriation of refugees, a meeting was held by various East Timorese factions, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, the UNPKF Commander and the Commander of Udayana Military Command, in Denpasar, Bali, on 26-27 July 2000 and should hopefully lead to a productive outcome.  During this meeting, the concerned parties have expressed their initial agreement to expedite the return of the refugees and hoped that this plan could be implemented in the near future.

In this connection, while we underscore the imperative need to promote reconciliation among the East Timorese of all political persuasions, my delegation is pleased to inform the Council that such an undertaking has recently begun in the margins of the said Bali meeting. We believe that this constitutes an encouraging development in the context of establishing a solid foundation upon which a harmonious East Timorese society can be built.

Madame President,  

It has been the consistent policy of Indonesia to strongly condemn all acts of violence, including the tragic incident that took place in Suai, East Timor, on 24 July 2000.  The killing of an United Nations peacekeeper from New Zealand, is deeply deplorable to my delegation. On this solemn occasion, my delegation joins other speakers in extending our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family in this hour of sorrow. In spite of the untiring efforts of the Indonesian Government to provide security, it would be impossible under such uncertain and tenuous circumstances to control the actions of each and every individual in the refugee camps. It is therefore pertinent to draw the attention of the Council to the observations made by the Australian Foreign Minister, H.E. Mr. Alexander Downer that it was not fair to blame the Indonesian Government. The incident happened after strenuous efforts by the Government of Indonesia to prevent such an act of violence from occurring which has been depicted by UNTAET as an isolated case.

The Indonesian Government has, however, swiftly responded to this tragic incident by extending its full cooperation towards the ongoing investigation. Its exemplary form of cooperation is reflected by Indonesia’s invitation to the Government of New Zealand to jointly investigate this incident, involving its national.  Even though this is the first combat-related death of an UN peacekeeper in East Timor, my delegation earnestly believes that the loss of life is one too many and hence, warrants our urgent attention.

It could be recalled that in order to avoid the occurrence of unfortunate incidents, the Indonesian authorities had earlier proposed to the UNTAET of the need to undertake a joint patrol, joint border posts and exchange of military liaison officers. But unfortunately these proposals were rejected by the UNTAET on the basis that the concerned parties had to be responsible for providing security on their respective sides of the border.

Finally, Madame President, as alluded to, by the Secretary-General, the best assurance for a secure future for East Timor lies in healthy relations with the countries in the region, particularly Indonesia, its closest neighbor.  Indeed, the attainment of this noble objective will facilitate the inauguration of a new era of amity and friendship to the mutual benefit of the two peoples.  Towards this end, Indonesia will continue to extend its cooperation and support.  We would also like to avail of this opportunity to express our gratitude to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and other concerned parties for their efforts in bringing this complex and challenging task to a successful conclusion.

Thank you, Madame President.

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