Richard Boucher, Spokesman
Washington, DC
March 9, 2005
East Timor and Indonesia Form Commission
on Truth and Friendship
The United States welcomes the formation by East Timor and Indonesia
of a Commission on Truth and Friendship (CTF). We support the countries
desire to strengthen their democracies, promote reconciliation,
and bring closure to the human rights violations committed in East
Timor in 1999. The
Commission can be an important component of the overall effort to
achieve accountability and reconciliation. The recommendations of
the United Nations Commission of Experts, which is expected to complete
its work in May, will be another key element in this endeavor.
We encourage the two commissions to coordinate closely. There needs
to be a partnership between East Timor, Indonesia, and the international
community. Internationally recognized accountability for the 1999
human rights violations, including finding the truth and identifying
the perpetrators,
will assist these two new democracies to move forward and achieve
their many shared objectives. The United States will follow the
work of the two commissions with great interest.
2005/303
Released on March 9, 2005
<http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2005/43190.htm>http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2005/43190.htm
End.