Gusmao Calls Indictment Of Wiranto A "Mistake"
UNWire 1 March 2003
East Timorese President Xanana Gusmao said today that he regretted that
the
independent Serious Crimes Unit had indicted Wiranto, saying it would
harm
the relationship between East Timor and Indonesia, but noted that he cannot
intervene in the prosecution. "They did not inform me, it's not East
Timor
policy," he said. "I regret (the indictment) but I could not
simply ask
prosecutors to drop their charges as the General Prosecutors Office is
an
independent institution" (Jakarta Post, Feb. 28).
Gusmao also today called on the international community to take over
the
full responsibility of trying those accused of crimes against humanity
in
1999, insisting that it is not within the national interest for Timorese
authorities to be involved in the cases. "I consider it to not be
in the
national interest to realize a judicial process of this nature in East
Timor," he said (LUSA II, Feb. 28, UN Wire translation).
Gusmao said he and other Timorese authorities are now going to look for
"solutions" to avoid negative repercussions in Indonesian-East
Timorese
relations. "We have decided we are going to work to see if we can
find a
solution to this situation that could affect our ties with Indonesia,"
he
said. "For us, relations with Indonesia are of extreme importance,
not
only for current stability, but for the future of the country" (LUSA
III,
Feb. 28, UN Wire translation).