FED: Howard fails on disarmament, says ALP

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-1999
FED: Howard fails on disarmament, says ALP

CANBERRA, April 27 AAP - Many East Timorese could pay the price for Prime Minister John
Howard's failure to secure an agreement from Indonesia on disarming pro-integrationist
militias in East Timor, the federal opposition said tonight.

Labor's foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton said Mr Howard's Bali summit with
Indonesia's President BJ Habibie had merely provided a forum for Indonesia to announce its
arrangements for the United Nations sponsored ballot on autonomy for East Timor.

"Mr Howard has failed to secure unequivocal agreement by the Indonesian government to
immediately disarm the pro-integrationist militias and accept effective verification of a
disarmament process by a UN peacekeeping mission," Mr Brereton said.

"The fundamentals for a peaceful transition in East Timor are that pro-integrationist
militias must be disarmed with effective international verification to ensure that they are
and remain disarmed."

Mr Brereton said a small number of UN civilian police acting as advisers to Indonesian
authorities would provide no confidence to the East Timorese that the ballot would be
conducted without fear of violence and intimidation.

"Prime Minister Howard appears to have been very accommodating in Bali today, but he
secured very little in return," he said.

"Tragically, many more East Timorese may pay the price for Mr Howard's failure."

The Australian Council for Overseas Aid (ACFOA) welcomed the Australian government's
commitment to the UN operation, but was disappointed that there was nothing from the summit on
disarming paramilitaries.

"The paramilitaries must be disarmed and the killings must stop," said ACFOA's Janet Hunt.

AAP sc/jnb/br

KEYWORD: TIMOR AUST BRERETON

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