U.S. Praises Indonesia Steps Toward Civilian Supremacy (fwd)

["M.G.G. Pillai" <pillai@mgg.pc.my>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 03 Mar 2000 08:12:55
From: tapol@gn.apc.org
Reply-To: "Conference act.indonesia" <indonesia-act@igc.org>
To: Recipients of indonesia-act <indonesia-act@igc.org>
Subject: U.S. Praises Indonesia Steps Toward Civilian Supremacy

From: TAPOL <tapol@gn.apc.org>
Subject: U.S. Praises Indonesia Steps Toward Civilian Supremacy

Received from Joyo Indonesian News

also: US Wants Indonesia to Remain Unitary State, Says MP

Associated Press
March 3, 2000 

US Roth Praises Indonesia Steps Toward Civilian Supremacy

HONG KONG (AP)--Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid's moves to assert 
control over his nation's military have put Indonesia on an encouraging path 
toward "civilian supremacy," a top U.S. official said Friday.

Wahid's decision last month to remove the security minister, Gen. Wiranto, as 
well as the appointment of a civilian defense minister and the rotation of 
key military commanders are all important steps, said Stanley Roth, the 
assistant U.S. secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.

"The principle of civilian supremacy has been supported," Roth told foreign 
correspondents as he stopped here on trip that also will take him to 
Singapore and the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. "I think the likelihood of a 
coup now seems low."

But Roth said the reforms will not happen overnight, and he added that the 
world will be watching what Indonesia does about punishing people found to 
have been behind the mass killings and other abuses in East Timor, which was 
occupied by Indonesia for 24 years.

------------------

US Wants Indonesia to Remain Unitary State, Says MP

JAKARTA, March 3 Antara - The US government fully supports the Indonesian 
government's efforts to keep its territory intact and quell any separatist 
movement.
"The US wants to see Indonesia remain intact as a unitary state of the 
Republic of Indonesia," US deputy secretary of state Stanley Roth was quoted 
by House member Yasril Ananta Baharuddin as saying Thursday.

Roth along with assistant to the US secretary of state Thomas R. Pickering 
and US ambassador to Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard had earlier held a closed 
door meeting with the House leadership.

Roth said both President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine 
Albright had reiterated the US government's stand on Indonesia before the 
Congress last week.

At last week's meeting with the Congress, Stanley said the US government had 
discussed the possibilities of the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia 
being torn apart due to the mounting activities of separatist movements in 
the provinces of Aceh and Papua (Irian Jaya).

In response to the US stand, Yasril said: "After this time we will monitor 
how the US realizes its support to Indonesia. Don't let the US support, 
either directly or indirectly, be received by the NGOs behind the separatist 
movements."

"Based on that, we hold the US commitment and will make it known to the 
Indonesian people," he added.

In the meantime, he reported that the US delegation also said that Washington 
trusted the Indonesian government's ability to solve its domestic affairs, 
including the economic recovery program.

Yasril said during the meeting Indonesia also asked US assistance in 
informing the world community about the reform process that is now going on 
in Indonesia.

"We appeal to the world community to give a chance to the Indonesian 
government and people to accomplish the (reform) process," he said.

In this connection, the world community must respect the Indonesian 
government's efforts to implement the recommendations of the inquiry into 
human rights abuses in East Timor for further investigation of those 
allegedly involved in last year's mass violence in the territory.

In case there was an Indonesian found guilty of human rights abuses in East 
Timor, the matter would fully be an internal affair of the Indonesian nation, 
he said.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath,
Surrey CR7 8HW, UK
Phone: 0181 771-2904   Fax: 0181 653-0322
email: tapol@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Campaigning to expose human rights violations in
Indonesia, East Timor, West Papua and Aceh

26 years - and still going strong 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++