---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, October 5, 1999 Human Rights: UN High Commissioner Manipulates Meeting On E Timor New York, Oct 5 <ANTARA>- Japan admitted it has been put under pressure by the United nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to change its position to support the commission's special session on East Timor, held on September 23-27, ANTARA sources here said on Monday noght local time. He said the Deputy Japanese Permanent Representative Envoy at the UN in Geneva, Nobutoshi Akso, has written a protest letter to the chief of the commission, Mary Robinson, on efforts aimed at pressing Japan to change its position from "abstain" to "agree" in the special session. The letter is also Japanese testimony, in chronological relation to the deadline for a confirmation answer set for Thursday, September 16, at 6:00 p.m. for the session's organisation, he added. Some Asian diplomats against the session said the Japanese testimony has strengthened an opinion that the commission has taken sides, not been transparent, and too ambitious by manipulating the answers needed for holding such a meeting. The commission needs 27 answers from its 53 members to hold a special session. The session was finally held after Rwanda gave its answer, completing the responses needed for such a session. In the session conducted upon the question of Portugal, Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said Indonesia wanted its National Commission on Human Rights <Komnas HAM> to investigate alleged human rights abuses in East Timor, and not the one set up by the international investigation commissiomn. "Jakarta agreed that those having violated human rights should be put on trial but, at this stage, it would be better if Komnas HAM does the investigation with help from the experts from the UN commission, rather than setting up a commission," he said. <T.LNY-01/NN-04/04:2/INT-TA/nn-03/tb05> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 8 Oct 1999 jam 07:41:13 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
