The United States has urged Indonesia to quickly disarm militias in west Timor and hold them accountable for killing three UN aid workers earlier this month and other violence. State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher also said that it was absurd and insulting to suggest foreign powers are fomenting violence in East and West Timor or that East Timor wanted to rejoin Indonesia.
In truth, the violence in Timor is being staged from Indonesia territory under the eyes of Indonesian officials, Boucher said on Monday. The government must move quickly and decisively to disarm the militias and hold them accountable for their violence. He also said that the East Timorese voted overwhelmingly to separate from Indonesia in a UN-sponsored referendum in August 1999.
“There is no reason to believe that there has been any significant shift in East Timorese opinion on this subject,” Boucher said. The East Timorese continue to work closely with the United Nations' transitional authority to realize the independence they have chosen. Last week, Defence Secretary William Cohen warned that Indonesia risked losing international financial assistance if it fails to immediately disband the armed gangs.

Bureau Report