Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 24 May 1995

Vol. 453 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Situation In East Timor.

Kathleen Lynch

As Ireland will preside over the Intergovernmental Conference in 1996 it will afford us an ideal opportunity, as we have done in the past, to voice the concerns of small nations on the matter of East Timor. The people who set up the East Timor Support Group, comprised of unemployed persons in the Dublin area, are to be commended on having brought this matter to our attention yet again in such a tangible manner. Although our people are concerned about East Timor, it is a matter warranting the attention of the European Union just as much as, say, Martinique or Guadeloupe. It is the belief of the United Nations that Portugal should be the administering authority in East Timor. Yet, the behaviour of Indonesia in East Timor has been met simply by a series of nods and winks without any action being taken.

Approximately 200,000 East Timorese people have been killed for no known reason by the Indonesian Government, yet we stand by. In reply to a parliamentary question I tabled in the House a few weeks ago, I ascertained that our trade with East Timor had increased enormously, from an approximate £16.5 million in 1989 to approximately £42.5 million in 1993. When we investigate how change was wrought in other parts of the world where there were serious breaches of human rights, we discover that we sought sanctions, which were the main reason for the huge changes that have taken place, for example, in South Africa. Indeed our people are very proud of the various actions they took in regard to South Africa. We could be equally proud if we brought about the cessation of the genocide in East Timor by the Indonesian Government. At the same time, member states of the European Union, for example, France, still supply helicopters to Indonesia for use in East Timor. England has a huge trade in arms with the Indonesian Government and Australia has an appalling record, well documented, in collaborating with the Indonesian Government in relation to East Timor. I understand the Australians are about to give something of the order of £100 million in arms to the Indonesian Government to maintain the status quo in East Timor.

Our people and Government cannot allow the circumstances in East Timor to continue, all in the interests of oil rather than the development of a country, akin to the position in Kuwait before the Gulf War, which is frightening. If East Timor did not have such vast quantities of oil off its coastline, the Australian Government would not be as supportive as they are of the Indonesian Government. They know what is taking place in East Timor, as many of its citizens — and multi-national companies — are located there.

We must take a stand on this matter because our trade with East Timor is enormous and growing. While it may not be economically beneficial for us to take a stand against the Indonesian, French, English or Australian Governments, we must do so. We must not participate in any agreements with these countries, we must state that what they are doing is wrong and take a lead from the people who brought this matter to our attention so tangibly in recent months.

I implore the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and his Minister of State, Deputy Gay Mitchell, to raise these issues, thereby giving solace not only to our people but to those of East Timor, doing what we have done over many generations, being the voice of nations without one.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (Mr. G. Mitchell)

I thank Deputy Lynch for raising the important subject of East Timor and giving the House an opportunity to consider it. She also raised the role Ireland can play during its Presidency of the European Union. Deputies will be aware that Ireland follows closely the situation in East Timor, on which the Tánaiste delivered a detailed speech in the Seanad on 8 March 1995. The Government will continue to follow developments in East Timor closely in the lead up to and during our Presidency of the European Union in the second half of 1996.

An important feature of Ireland's period as President of the European Council of Ministers will be relations between the European Union and the Association of South East Asian Nations — ASEAN — consisting of six countries: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Vietnam will become the seventh member state of ASEAN in July of this year.

Representatives of the six ASEAN Embassies visited Dublin earlier this week and met the Tánaiste and myself. One of the objectives of the meeting was to look forward to the series of EU-ASEAN ministerial meetings which will take place in the second half of 1996. One of the members of the visiting delegation was the Indonesian Ambassador and the Tánaiste took the opportunity to raise with him public concern in this country at the position in East Timor.

Let me describe briefly for the information of this House the meetings which will take place between the European Union and ASEAN. The Foreign Ministers of ASEAN hold an annual meeting, usually in late July. Following that session, meetings take place between the European Union and ASEAN Ministers and Ireland will represent the European Union as Presidency at each of these meetings.

The most important EU-ASEAN meeting will take place in Singapore at Foreign Minister level, probably in September when Ireland and Singapore will act as co-chairmen of the meeting.

These meetings will provide an opportunity for high level contacts between the European Union, under the Irish Presidency, and ASEAN. The Essen European Council of last December agreed that respect for human rights and similar principles constitute essential elements in the relations between the EU and third countries, including the ASEAN countries.

At the previous Foreign Ministers' meeting in Karlsruhe in Germany in September 1994, the European Union and ASEAN Ministers issued a joint declaration and included the following section on human rights:

The Ministers emphasised their common commitment to the promotion of and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. They expressed their strong support for the successful implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.

The Vienna Declaration, which was adopted on 25 June 1993, to which all the ASEAN countries including Indonesia subscribe, includes the following keynote statement: "while the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious background must be borne in mind, it is the duty of States regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms". These statements will demonstrate to Deputies the importance which is attached to the issue of human rights in the discussions between the EU and ASEAN Ministers. The Joint Declaration which emerges from those discussions has to be agreed by both sides. However, the meeting provides the opportunity for specific cases, in particular that of East Timor, to be raised with the ASEAN countries. The Indonesian Government is fully aware of the international concerns that exist as regards the situation in East Timor, and, in particular, of Ireland's continuing concern.

Ireland will continue to follow developments with regard to East Timor in preparation for its Presidency in the EU. Particular importance should be attached to the statement issued by the Chairman of the UN Commission on Human Rights, which met in Geneva from January until March this year. The chairman's statement recorded Indonesia's undertaking to invite the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit East Timor this year and to report to the next session of the Commission on Human Rights. Indonesia also undertook to invite the Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to visit East Timor when it is necessary for them to do so in order to fulfil their duties.

Ireland will remain in close contact with Portugal on this issue and follows the bilateral talks on East Timor which Portugal and Indonesia hold at Foreign Minister level under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. The next meeting of the Foreign Ministers is to take place on 8 July.

Indonesia's implementation of its undertakings and developments in East Timor will be carefully taken into account by Ireland and its EU partners in deciding on the best course of action to take.