July 29, 2005 5:01am
Asia Intelligence Wire

Chinese President Urges Internal Resolution of East Timor Rights Abuses

Excerpt from unattributed report headlined: "Chinese president supports resolution through Truth and Friendship Commission"; by Indonesian newspaper Kompas Cyber Media web site (www.kompas.com) on 29 July.

Beijing: [Chinese] President Hu Jintao fully supports the Indonesian government and agrees that the 1999 East Timor human rights issue should be handled and resolved by the Truth and Friendship Commission.

According to SBY's [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] international spokesman Dino Pati Djalal, President Hu Jintau expressed his support during one hour of bilateral discussions with President Yudhoyono in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday (28/7). The Chinese president also said that the issue of human rights violations in East Timor were a matter for Indonesia and East Timor to resolve.

In the context of this, according to Dino, Hu Jintau urged Indonesia to stand firm against any intervention by outside parties to influence the efforts being made by Indonesia and East Timor to resolve the human rights
issue.

Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said the same thing. [passage omitted]

The issue of human rights violations in East Timor was one of several issues discussed by the two presidents before they witnessed the signing of several MoUs by the relevant ministers of both countries. The MoU's signed were in relation to cooperating in the rebuilding of Aceh and Nias, procurement of a tsunami and earthquake early warning system and arrangements for the teaching of the Chinese language to Indonesians.

Source: Kompas Cyber Media web site, Jakarta, in Indonesian 29 Jul 05