Dili says relations with RI more important then justice
The Jakarta Post
March 5, 2003
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta
Indonesia and East Timor agreed to bury the hatchet and put bilateral
relations between them before the ongoing legal process against Indonesian
officials implicated in human rights violations during Jakarta's occupation
of East Timor.
During his brief visit here, East Timor's Minister of Foreign Affairs
Jose
Ramos Horta apparently told officials that Dili would ignore the recent
recommendation by the United Nations special crimes unit to East Timor's
attorney general to indict former and active Indonesian Military (TNI)
officers in order to maintain good relations with Jakarta.
"The relationship between Timor Leste and Indonesia is far too important
for
any issue that might arise to discourage us or to derail this relationship,"
he told a joint press conference with his Indonesian counterpart Hassan
Wirayuda following their meeting on Monday.
"Within the framework of our constitution, we will try to find ways
and means
how the issue of justice is served but also to avoid, in the pursuit of
justice, any misunderstanding between Timor Leste and Indonesia."
Horta made the visit upon President Xanana Gusmao's order to clarify
the
recent UN special crime unit recommendation on Feb. 24 to declare the
Indonesian military and civilians suspects in crimes against humanity
prior
to and after the independence ballot in 1999.
Among the officers were Gen. (ret). Wiranto, Maj. Gen. Zaky Anwar Makarim,
Lt. Gen. (ret) Kiki Syahnakri, Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri, Brig. Gen. Suhartono
Suratman and Col. Yayat Sudrajat.
Gusmao earlier expressed disappointment with the recommendation, saying
he
should have been consulted first.
Hassan told the joint press conference on Monday that the two countries
had
agreed to work together and would not let the past issues affect bilateral
relations between the neighboring states.
Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs director for East Asia Primo Alwi
Julianto said that during the meeting, Hassan said that Dili should not
push
ahead with the recommendation in order to maintain bilateral relations
with
Jakarta.
"Explicitly, Horta said that Dili would not go ahead with the recommendation
to the international tribunal, but could not stop the ongoing national
process at his attorney general's office," Primo told The Jakarta
Post on
Tuesday.
The official reiterated that as long as the process remained confined
to
Dili's attorney general's office, it would not affect non-East Timorese
citizens.
"The recommendation will only matter should the East Timor government
file a
lawsuit against the officials with the UN International Court of Justice,
which Horta said will not be done," Primo said.
Primo added Horta referred the settlement through the truth and
reconciliation commission as the best solution to resolve the cases of
murder, deportation and persecution.