H. Res. 292
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
September 28, 1999.
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
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 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;
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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 limiting 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;
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 temporary 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;
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;
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Whereas on September 15, 1999, the United Nations Secu-
rity Council approved Resolution 1264, authorizing the
establishment of a multinational force to restore peace
and security in East Timor, to protect and support
UNAMET in carrying out its tasks and, within force ca-
pabilities, to facilitate humanitarian assistance oper-
ations, and authorizing countries participating in the
multinational force to take all necessary measures to ful-
fill this mandate; and
Whereas on September 20, 1999, the multinational force led
by Australia arrived in East Timor and began to deploy
for an initial period of four months until replaced by a
United Nations peacekeeping operation, or as otherwise
determined by the United Nations Security Council: 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, determination,
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;
(3) recognizes the overwhelming expression of the
people of East Timor in favor of independence from In-
donesia;
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(4) condemns the violent efforts of East Timor mili-
tias 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 Gov-
ernment of Indonesia, despite repeated assurances to the
contrary, to have guaranteed the security of the people
of East Timor and further notes that it was the respon-
sibility of the Government of Indonesia to restrain ele-
ments of the Indonesian military and paramilitary forces
and restore order in East Timor;
(6) calls upon the Government of Indonesia to rec-
ognize its responsibilities as a member of the United Na-
tions and a signatory to the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights to cooperate with appropriate United Na-
tions authorities in the restoration of order in, and the
safe return of refugees and other displaced persons to,
East Timor;
(7) urges the Government of Indonesia to allow un-
restricted access to refugees and displaced persons in
West Timor and elsewhere and to guarantee their safety;
(8) urges the international community to investigate
the human rights abuses and atrocities which occurred
with respect to the situation in East Timor subsequent
to August 30, 1999, and calls upon the Government of
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Indonesia to hold accountable those responsible for these
acts;
(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 the Indonesian military has effectively
cooperated with the international community in facili-
tating the transition of East Timor to independence;
(10) expresses approval of Indonesia’s belated deci-
sion to allow the United Nations Security Council-en-
dorsed multinational force into East Timor;
(11) expresses support for a rapid and effective de-
ployment throughout East Timor of the United Nations
Security Council-endorsed multinational force;
(12) urges that the United States consider addi-
tional measures, including the suspension of bilateral
and international financial assistance (except for human-
itarian assistance and assistance designed to promote
the development of democratic institutions) to the Gov-
ernment of Indonesia should it curtail or suspend co-
operation with the multinational force in East Timor,
interfere with the full deployment of this multinational
force, hinder the operation of UNAMET, hinder the safe
return of refugees and displaced persons to East Timor,
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or otherwise interfere with the restoration of order and
respect for human rights in East Timor;
(13)(A) expresses approval of United States
logistical and other technical support for the multi-
national force for East Timor; and
(B) declares that neither subparagraph (A) nor any
other provision of this resolution—
(i) shall constitute a waiver of any right or
power of the Congress under the War Powers Reso-
lution (50 U.S.C. 1541 et seq.); or
(ii) shall be construed as authority described in
section 8(a) of the War Powers Resolution (50
U.S.C. 1547(a));
(14) strongly commends Australia for its willingness
to lead the multinational force for East Timor and for
rapidly deploying its initial contingent of forces and wel-
comes and commends New Zealand, Canada, Thailand,
the United Kingdom, Singapore, the Philippines, Italy,
Brazil, France, and other nations that will participate in
this force;
(15) urges the Indonesian People’s Consultative As-
sembly to expeditiously ratify the vote of August 30,
1999, in East Timor and to otherwise speed the transi-
tion to full independence for East Timor; and
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(16) recognizes that an effective United States for-
eign policy for this region requires both an effective
near-term response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis
in, and progress toward independence for, East Timor
and a long-term strategy for supporting stability, secu-
rity, and democracy in Indonesia and East Timor.
Attest:
Clerk.