IV
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. RES. 292
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the ref-
erendum in East Timor, calling on the Government of Indonesia to
assist in the termination of the current civil unrest and violence in
East Timor, and supporting a United Nations Security Council-endorsed
multinational force for East Timor.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 14, 1999
Mr. BEREUTER (for himself, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. GEJDENSON, Mr.
HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. GOSS, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA,
Mr. GREENWOOD, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. POMBO, Mr.
UNDERWOOD, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. BILBRAY, Mr. HALL of Ohio,
Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, and Mr. BROWN of Ohio)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on International Relations
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regard-
ing the referendum in East Timor, calling on the Govern-
ment of Indonesia to assist in the termination of the
current civil unrest and violence in East Timor, and
supporting a United Nations Security Council-endorsed
multinational force for East Timor.
Whereas on May 5, 1999, the Governments of Portugal and
Indonesia and the United Nations concluded an historic
agreement intended to resolve the status of East Timor
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through a popular consultation based upon a universal,
direct, and secret ballot;
Whereas the agreement gave the people of East Timor an op-
portunity to accept a proposed special autonomy for East
Timor within the unitary Republic of Indonesia or reject
the special autonomy and opt for independence;
Whereas on August 30, 1999, 98.5 percent of registered vot-
ers participated in a vote on the future of East Timor,
and by a vote of 344,580 to 94,388 chose the course of
independence;
Whereas after the voting was concluded, violence intensified
significantly in East Timor;
Whereas the declaration by the Government of Indonesia of
martial law in East Timor has failed to quell the violence;
Whereas it has been reported that hundreds of people have
been killed and injured since the violence began in East
Timor;
Whereas it has been reported that as many as 200,000 of
East Timor’s 780,000 residents have been forced to flee
East Timor;
Whereas it has been reported that East Timor militias are
controlling the refugee camps in West Timor, intimi-
dating the refugees and denying access to the United Na-
tions High Commissioner for Refugees, relief agencies,
and other humanitarian nongovernmental organizations;
Whereas it has been reported that a systematic campaign of
political assassinations that has targeted religious, stu-
dent, and political leaders, aid workers, and others has
taken place;
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Whereas the compound of the United Nations Mission in
East Timor (UNAMET) was besieged and fired upon, ac-
cess to food, water, and electricity was intentionally cut
off, and UNAMET personnel have been killed, forcing
the closure of UNAMET in East Timor;
Whereas Catholic leaders and lay people have been targeted
to be killed and churches burned in East Timor;
Whereas the international community has called upon the
Government of Indonesia to either take immediate and
concrete steps to end the violence in East Timor or allow
a United Nations Security Council-endorsed multi-
national force to enter East Timor and restore order;
Whereas on September 9, 1999, the United States suspended
all military relations with Indonesia as a result of the
failure to quell the violence in East Timor; and
Whereas on September 12, 1999, Indonesian President B.J.
Habibie announced that Indonesia would allow a United
Nations Security Council-endorsed multinational force
into East Timor: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) congratulates the people of East Timor on
their exemplary participation in the August 30,
1999, popular consultation;
(2) commends the professionalism, determina-
tion, and courage of the United Nations Mission in
East Timor (UNAMET) personnel in support of the
August 30, 1999, vote on the future of East Timor;
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(3) recognizes the overwhelming expression of
the people of East Timor in favor of independence
from Indonesia;
(4) condemns the violent efforts of East Timor
militias and elements of the Indonesian military to
overturn the results of the August 30, 1999, vote;
(5) notes with grave alarm the failure of the
Government of Indonesia, despite repeated assur-
ances to the contrary, to guarantee the security of
the people of East Timor and further notes that it
is the responsibility of the Government of Indonesia
to restrain elements of the Indonesian military and
paramilitary forces and restore order in East Timor;
(6) calls upon the Government of Indonesia to
recognize its responsibilities as a member of the
United Nations and a signatory to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights to cooperate with ap-
propriate United Nations authorities in the restora-
tion of order in East Timor;
(7) urges the Government of Indonesia to allow
unrestricted access to refugees and displaced persons
in West Timor and to guarantee their safety;
(8) calls upon the Government of Indonesia to
hold accountable those responsible for the violence
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and human rights abuses and atrocities in East
Timor;
(9) notes with approval the decision of the
United States to suspend military relations with,
and the sale of any military weapons or equipment
to, the Government of Indonesia until order is effec-
tively restored;
(10) expresses approval of Indonesia’s belated
decision to allow a United Nations Security Council-
endorsed multinational force into East Timor and
strongly urges Indonesia to accept the rapid deploy-
ment of this force and to cooperate fully without
preconditions on the composition and deployment of
this force;
(11) expresses support for a rapid and effective
deployment throughout East Timor of the United
Nations Security Council-endorsed multinational
force;
(12) urges that the United States consider ad-
ditional measures to end the current civil unrest and
violence in East Timor, including the suspension of
bilateral and international financial assistance (ex-
cept for humanitarian assistance and assistance de-
signed to promote the development of democratic in-
stitutions) to the Government of Indonesia until
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such time as it has demonstrated cooperation with
respect to the deployment of a multinational force in
East Timor and such force is fully deployed,
UNAMET is fully operational in East Timor, refu-
gees and displaced persons are able to return to
East Timor safely, and order and respect for human
rights are restored in East Timor;
(13) expresses approval of United States
logistical and other technical support for deployment
of a multinational force for East Timor;
(14) commends Australia for its readiness to
lead the multinational force for East Timor and wel-
comes the participation of other nations in this
force;
(15) urges the Indonesian People’s Consultative
Assembly to expeditiously ratify the vote of August
30, 1999, in East Timor and to otherwise speed the
transition to full independence for East Timor; and
(16) recognizes that an effective United States
foreign policy for this region requires both an effec-
tive near-term response to the ongoing violence in,
and progress toward independence for, East Timor
and a long-term strategy for supporting stability, se-
curity, and democracy in Indonesia and East Timor.
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