From: barnhart@netcom.com (Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:SURINAME: Official Dutch praise for
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 15:25:34 GMT
Organization: Netcom
Reply-To: barnhart@netcom.com

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: SURINAME: Official Dutch praise for peace accord not shared by all


an inter press service feature

by guido de bruin

amsterdam, aug 11 (ips) -- the amnesty provision in the surinamese
peace accord, signed saturday between the government and leaders
of two rebel groups, has been severely criticised here, despite
official dutch optimism.

surinamese human rights group 'moiwana '86' has brought a case
before the court in the capital paramaribo, calling for the
removal of the amnesty provision, which will allow both the
military and insurgents who have committed human rights offences
since 1985 to go scot-free. the case will be heard thursday.

''while the government has reconciled itself with the illegal
armed groups, it has alienated itself from human rights groups
with great moral authority like moiwana '86 and 'justice and
peace','' says former surinamese deputy prime minister andre
haakmat, now a private lawyer based in amsterdam.

a fierce critic of surinamese president ronald venetiaan's
government, haakmat says it is ''immoral'' that under the peace
accord, victims of human rights abuse will not be compensated.

''all the consequences of illegal military actions are thus
shifted unto individual citizens,'' he says, calling on the
government to shoulder its responsibility in this regard.

according to haakmat, the government ''has not had the courage to
solidly support moral values,'' agreeing to a generous amnesty
provision that, he says, was not necessary, as the rebel groups
had ceased to be a real threat since fighting ended in 1989.

from 1986, a 'jungle command' under ronnie brunswijk, based in
the interior areas of eastern suriname, started a guerrilla war
against the former military regime, which armed the tucayana
indians, the third party to the peace accord, to help put down the
rebellion.

in four years of fighting, hundreds of people were killed and
some 10,000 inhabitants of the war torn areas fled to neighbouring
french guyana. in 1986, the army massacred over 50 people in the
village of moiwana in eastern suriname.

in a statement, the dutch government sunday welcomed the peace
accord, and trusted that its acceptance by most insurgent groups
will contribute to ''stability, reconstruction and development in
the whole of suriname''. (more/ips)

suriname: official dutch praise for peace accord not shared by al(2-e)

suriname: official dutch praise (2)

the statement also said the netherlands does not want to judge
the amnesty provision, but indicated that in principle, impunity
for human rights offenders is an undesirable offer.

however, ''crimes against humanity'' are excluded from the
provision, and the government trusts that ''those who have taken
part in such systematic human rights violations can still be
prosecuted.''

but according to marcel zwamborn, former researcher of the dutch
'study and information centre for human rights' (sim), the amnesty
provision makes persecution of human rights offenders and
compensation for victims of human rights violations impossible.

''this runs counter to international human rights treaties,'' he
says, adding that ''apparently, international law is not deeply
rooted in the surinamese judiciary.'' according to zwamborn, the
concept of ''crimes against humanity,'' devised during the post
second world war nurenemberg trials, is ''outdated and vague'' and
cannot be applied by the judges in human rights cases.

zwamborn says the amnesty provision, originally drafted in 1989,
was a ''trick'' to be able to punish human rights violations
''through the back door,'' but in this way, will not work.

he adds that while interviewing for sim's 'yearbook on human
rights in developing countries' last january, venetiaan had
assured him that the amnesty provision would only apply to members
of the insurgent groups, and not to the military.

''so venetiaan either is being opportunistic, or has the wrong
advisors,'' zwamborn concludes.

but zwamborn admits that the peace accord will give the
government ''the calm it needs for the development of the
interior.'' the accord provides for economic reconstruction of the
interior areas, ravaged by the warfare, for which funds will be
used out of the framework agreement, concluded between suriname
and the netherlands, its former coloniser, in june.

in the agreement, dutch development aid was made dependent on the
implementation of a structural adjustment programme by the
surinamese government.

a spokesperson for the dutch ministry for development cooperation
said in a reaction that the dutch government still trusts in the
surinamese willingness to push on with adjustment, and that there
are only some procedural matter to be resolved before dutch aid
can be released.

he added that the use of dutch aid in the context of the peace
accord would be a matter of discussion between the two
governments. (end/ips/hr/cd/gdb/rj/92)

-- 
Aaron (Barnhart@netcom.com) -- posting from Evanston, Illinois
Newsgroups: apc.reg.safrica,soc.culture.african,sanet.talk.politics