---------------------------------------------------------- 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 6, 1999 Rights-E Timor: RI To Reject UN Team To Probe Rights Violations In E Timor Jakarta, Oct 5 (ANTARA)- Indonesia will reject the coming of a UN- sponsored international team to probe alleged human rights abuses in East Timor because the investigation can be done by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), cabinet minister said. Indonesia does not object to the investigation of alleged human rights violations as long as it is conducted by its national rights body's team, Foreign Minister Ali Alatas told newsmen after meeting with President BJ Habibie here Tuesday. The international inquiry commission would reportedly probe alleged human rights violations that occurred in the post-ballot period in the ravaged former Portuguese colony. Alatas said Indonesia was not against the objectives of the formation of a fact-finding team but it did not want the investigation to be conducted by an international commission as it already had ist own national human rights commission. But if the United Nations pushed through its plan, Indonesia would let it to do so but not work with the UN-appointed team, Alatas said. Asked what Indonesia would do if the UN-appointed team still came to East Timor, Alatas answered: "During the second phase (November), they cannot go there without our permission. But, after November, it is up to them," he said. Asked whether the investigation result would be binding on Indonesia, he replied in the negative. He also denied allegations that the Indonesian government, the National Defence Forces (TNI) and State Police had been involved in human rights abuses. On bilateral ties with Canberra, he said both countries had an abiding interest in continuing these relations. "However, these relations are now on their lowest level due to such factors as the over-acting of the Australian government and part of the Australian people," he said. About Australian Prime Minister John Howard's statement that bilateral ties between Canberra and Jakarta would improve if Indonesia's new government had been formed, Alatas said: "let's see what will develop." (T.PUS02/NN-03/20:35/INT-AJM-22:50/NN01/23:06/TB02) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 8 Oct 1999 jam 07:41:27 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
