Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-09-15-Speech-3-153"
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"en.19990915.11.3-153"2
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"Mr President, I would like to begin by saying that I agree with most of the interventions which have already been made by my fellow MEPs. It is well known that East Timor has been illegally occupied by Indonesia for around 24 years, which has resulted in successive resolutions by the UN demanding Indonesia’s withdrawal and restating the people of East Timor’s right to self-determination.
Even here, in this Parliament, similar positions have been taken on a number of occasions. The truth is that throughout this period, the Indonesian occupying forces were claiming hundreds of thousands of victims, inflicting immense suffering on the people of East Timor, who have never wavered in their heroic struggle for freedom and independence, a struggle which we acclaim.
But with the signing of the New York Agreement between Portugal and Indonesia, under the auspices of the United Nations, it was thought that the way was finally clear for the resolution of all these problems. The turnout of 98.6% on 30 August, in the referendum which was held with the overwhelming majority of the people of East Timor, with over 78% coming out in favour of independence, showed clearly that its struggle deserved to be recognised by the whole world.
The truth is though, that later, both the UN, and international observers and the Indonesian authorities themselves, who thought that the elections had been held in a free and fair way, in spite of the pressure and the campaign of intimidation carried out by the pro-Djakarta militias, the truth – as I was saying – is that when the results were made public, terror was once again given free rein in East Timor.
Once again, the people were, and still are, threatened with genocide. It is therefore essential that we urgently and immediately put a stop to this situation, and that the people of East Timor are helped, using all possible humanitarian aid. It is essential that the militias, the police, and the Indonesian army stop sowing terror in the area. We must also recognise that Indonesia did not fulfil the commitments it accepted in the New York Agreement, which required the intervention of the UN Security Council through the dispatch of a peacekeeping force, with a clear mandate and a defined time-scale, to guarantee security and peace in the territory and to prevent further genocide. It was a long time before this decision was actually taken. Finally, it was taken, and the UN Security Council eventually decided to intervene, but incidents are still occurring, and it is crucial that they do not continue, that this intervention is not delayed any further.
The people in East Timor – but also those who have fled to other parts of Indonesia – need this support. Something else which should also be done urgently is to ensure their safe return (of the refugees and displaced people) and that non-governmental organisations, international observers and journalists can enter East Timor as quickly as possible. As we stated in our motion…
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