-Caveat Lector- TWO HUNDRED ?!?! ----Original Message Follows---- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Rich Winkel) To: undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: RIGHTS: Clinton Sending 200 US Troops to East Timor Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 01:02:43 -0500 (CDT) /** ips.english: 472.0 **/ ** Topic: RIGHTS: Clinton Sending 200 US Troops to East Timor ** ** Written 9:09 PM Sep 16, 1999 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.english ** Copyright 1999 InterPress Service, all rights reserved. Worldwide distribution via the APC networks. *** 16-Sep-99 *** Title: RIGHTS: Clinton Sending 200 US Troops to East Timor By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Sep 16 (IPS) - US President Bill Clinton, insisting that ''fundamental (US) values'' were at stake in East Timor, Thursday ordered 200 US troops to take part in the UN peacekeeping force to restore order to the devastated territory. ''Our fundamental values are at stake in East Timor,'' he said in a brief TV address, adding that about half of the US force would help co-ordinate communications, logistics, intelligence, and airlifts of troops and supplies from other countries participating in the East Timor operation. The rest would be based in Darwin, Australia, according to Pentagon officials. Australias troops are leading the operation in East Timor. ''Of course, on any mission like this, there are dangers and risks of casualties,'' Clinton said. ''But this force is well- equipped for the job, and it is a job that is in the interests of peace and stability.'' Clinton's announcement came amid reports from Dili, East Timor's capital, that the Indonesian army had begun to clear out pro-Indonesian militia units which had terrorised the former Portuguese colony since voters opted for independence Aug 30. Reports from a variety of sources indicated that many militias members, who were organised and supported by the Indonesian army, were leaving the territory for West Timor. Still, some militia leaders issued threats against the peacekeeping force, which would comprise about 7,500 troops, the majority of them Australian. Despite the small number of troops contributed by Washington, the US military is expected to play major role in transporting soldiers and supplies from other nations to East Timor and Darwin, which would be the main supply base for the peacekeeping force. More than a dozen nations were expected to contribute troops, who will be under the command of Australian Maj. Gen. Peter Cosgrove. The deputy commander will be a Thai general, according to the United Nations. Australia ironically was the only country to recognise Indonesian sovereignty over East Timor after Indonesian troops imnvaded the territory in 1975. But it is sending 4,500 troops to lead the UN force, the advance party expected to arrive in Dili Saturday, to be followed by 2,500 Australian soldiers Monday. Other major contributors of troops include Thailand, the Philippines, New Zealand, Malaysia, South Korea, France, Italy, Britain, and Canada. In addition, Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Fiji, Pakistan, Norway, Singapore, and Sweden have offered to provide soldiers, police or medical personnel for the operation, according to the United Nations. It remained unclear precisely how the peacekeeping force would work with Indonesian forces that stayed in East Timor although the Indonesian army commander in the territory, Gen. Kiki Syahnakri, was reported as saying that Jakarta would begin withdrawing its troops as early as this weekend. Senior Australian and Indonesian military officers have began meetings in New York about how the two forces will co-ordinate. But the government of Indonesian President B.J. Habibie announced Thursday that it was abrogating a four-year-old security treaty with Canberra to protest Australia's role in pushing for a peacekeeping force to be sent to the island. The early dispatch of the peacekeepers was deemed essential to saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of East Timorese who were forced by the militias to flee their homes into the remote hills and mountains of the territory after the vote. Without adequate supplies of water or food, many of these people were at risk of starvation and disease, according to humanitarian agencies. There is also growing concern about the fate of more than 120,000 other Timorese who were forcibly transported across the border to West Timor where most are living in camps reportedly controlled by the militias. The US branch of Amnesty International Thursday called for Washington to demand that Indonesia permit independent human rights monitors to gain access to the those camps and ensure that monitors also enter East Timor with the peacekeeping force to document the abuses that have taken place in the past two weeks. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed by the militias and the army in the aftermath of the vote. Many of the victims were students, pro-independence activists, and residents of neighbourhoods and villages opposed to Indonesian rule. While calm was being restored Thursday to Dili, which was largely de-populated and burned to the ground during the violence, many observers were worried that army-backed forces had turned their fury on the rural population where there is no international presence. ''East Timorese people now in the countryside are facing extermination,'' wrote Archbishop Carlos Belo, the Roman Catholic bishop of Dili, in a letter to the Washington Post. He urged ''an immediate massive humanitarian relief effort'' and the immediate dispatch of peacekeepers throughout the territory. Belo, who won the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts on behalf of his parishioners, was forced to flee East Timor early last week after gangs invaded and destroyed his residence. Clinton's announcement followed days of intense consultations between the administration and Congress and appeared to have the backing of most lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat. Some legislators last week accused the administration of not reacting early or forcefully enough to the violence in East Timor once it had become clear that the army was supporting it. Still others warned Clinton against committing any US troops to a territory where Washington has no vital interest at risk. In the end, by threatening drastic economic sanctions against Jakarta if it did not accept a peacekeeping force, while assuring lawmakers that US combat troops would not be deployed to East Timor, Clinton appeared to have satisfied all sides. (END/IPS/jl/mk/99) Origin: ROMAWAS/RIGHTS/ ---- [c] 1999, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS) All rights reserved May not be reproduced, reprinted or posted to any system or service outside of the APC networks, without specific permission from IPS. This limitation includes distribution via Usenet News, bulletin board systems, mailing lists, print media and broadcast. For information about cross- posting, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. For information about print or broadcast reproduction please contact the IPS coordinator at <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. ** End of text from cdp:ips.english ** *************************************************************************** This material came from the Institute for Global Communications (IGC), a non-profit, unionized, politically progressive Internet services provider. For more information, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (you will get back an automatic reply), or visit their web site at http://www.igc.org/ . IGC is a project of the Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. *************************************************************************** |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| http://www.angelfire.com/mi/smilinks/thirdeye.html |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om