[Etan-key] ETAN Urges Secretary Rice to Promote Justice and Rights, Not Military Might, During Trip to Indonesia

[John M Miller]

Rights Group Urges Secretary of State to Promote Justice and Rights, 
Not Military Might, During Upcoming Trip to Indonesia

For Immediate Release

Contact: John M. Miller (718) 596-7668; (917) 690-4391 (cell)
Karen Orenstein (202) 544-6911

January 6 - The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) today 
urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to support justice, peace 
and human rights - rather than military assistance and impunity - 
when she visits Indonesia this weekend.

"If Secretary Rice wishes to promote a forward-looking agenda, she 
can start by making clear that military assistance remains contingent 
on accountability and real reform," said John M. Miller, National 
Coordinator of ETAN. "Secretary Rice's message to senior Indonesian 
officials will be a test of whether the U.S.'s support for democracy 
in Indonesia consists of more than rhetoric."

"By recklessly waiving restrictions on U.S. military assistance to 
Indonesia late last year, Secretary Rice has abandoned the best 
available leverage to press for genuine reform," continued Miller. 
"If she is unwilling to withdraw the waiver, Secretary Rice should at 
a minimum delineate clear benchmarks that must be met before the U.S. 
provides any foreign military financing and lethal equipment. 
Otherwise, the unreformed, corrupt Indonesian military will continue 
to perceive any U.S. assistance as an endorsement of business-as-usual."

"One benchmark should be Indonesia's acceptance of the UN Commission 
of Experts' recommendations that it cooperate with international 
efforts to prosecute senior figures for massive human rights 
violations in East Timor. A pledge to broadly circulate and discuss 
the findings of the East Timor truth commission's recent report upon 
its release should be another marker," said Miller. "Such a call 
would have added credibility if the U.S. government made a similar 
commitment."

"We hope media reports that Rice will seek a formal agreement from 
Indonesia not to extradite U.S. citizens to the International 
Criminal Court (ICC) are inaccurate. If true, such a request would 
make a mockery of any calls for justice and accountability," he added.

"West Papua has been long-neglected by the international community. 
Secretary Rice should use her visit to highlight ongoing human rights 
violations and question the military build-up there. The Secretary of 
State should press Jakarta to heed calls from West Papua for 
demilitarization, a fair share of the income from its resources and 
respect for fundamental rights. Finally, she should demand that 
Indonesia fully open West Papua to the outside world," said Karen 
Orenstein, National Coordinator of ETAN.

"The recent publication of details of extensive cooperation between 
the Indonesian military and the mining corporation Freeport-McMoRan 
highlights the level of intimate U.S. involvement in West Papua. 
Secretary Rice should make clear that U.S. corporate collusion with 
the Indonesian military is unacceptable," Orenstein added.

"Secretary Rice should also warn that plans to deploy thousands of 
troops to Aceh, supposedly to help with tsunami reconstruction, risk 
undermining the peace accord that ended the conflict," said Orenstein.

Last November, the Department of State issued a waiver removing all 
remaining congressional restrictions on U.S. military assistance to 
Indonesia. Congress had imposed various restrictions on military 
training for Indonesia since 1992 and banned most types of weapons 
sales following the 1999 destruction of East Timor by Indonesian 
security forces and their militia proxies.

The U.S. government, as part of its campaign to undermine the ICC, 
has negotiated bilateral impunity agreements with about 100 
countries. These agreements exempt U.S. citizens from extradition to 
the international court. Like the U.S., Indonesia has not joined the ICC.

ETAN advocates for democracy, justice and human rights for East Timor 
and Indonesia. ETAN calls for an international tribunal to prosecute 
crimes against humanity committed in East Timor from 1975 to 1999 and 
for continued restrictions on U.S. military assistance to Indonesia 
until there is genuine reform of its security forces.  For additional 
background, see <http://www.etan.org>www.etan.org.

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John M. Miller         Internet: fbp at igc.org

National Coordinator
East Timor & Indonesia Action Network:

48 Duffield St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA
Phone: (718)596-7668      Fax: (718)222-4097
Mobile phone: (917)690-4391
Web site: http://www.etan.org

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