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Indonesian Foreign Minister Rejects Establishment of UN Expert Commission in East Timor Case
Friday, 13 August, 2004 | 01:21 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Indonesian foreign minister Nur Hassan Wirajuda has rejected reports mentioning that the United Nations had established an expert commission on human rights violations in East Timor following the 1999 ballot.

Wirajuda explained that the establishment such an expert commission should be aimed at reviewing whether or not the judicial process on human rights violations in East Timor following the 1999 ballot had been properly conducted.

“But, this is only a suggestion. It’s not fixed yet,” Wirajuda said following a cabinet meeting at the State Secretary building in Jakarta on Thursday (12/08).

He went on to say that the Indonesian government has taken firm stance on this matter, that of rejecting the plan to establish this expert commission.

“We have taken our stance on this matter, which is rejecting any plan to establish the expert commission on East Timor case,” stated Wirajuda.

As reported earlier, East Timorese Ambassador for Indonesia Arlindo Marcal said that the UN had established an expert commission that would handle the case of human rights violations in East Timor following the 1999 ballot.

“The Secretary-General of United Nations had taken the initiative for this matter,” Marcal stated.

He added that the UN had established the commission before the holding of the first round of the Indonesian presidential election on July 5, 2004.
(Yura Syahrul - Tempo News Room)