Vol. 544 No. 4
151 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will re-examine the outcome of the 1969 Act of Free Choice in West Papua due to the franchise being limited to 1025 people out of a population of 800,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29160/01]
Ireland's involvement in the 1969 Act of Free Choice was limited to a vote on the report of the UN Secretary General's Representative to West Papua at the 24th UN General Assembly. It is not within this Government's power to re-examine the outcome of the Act, which would be a matter for the UN Secretariat and the office of the Secretary General to consider. I am aware of the outstanding questions about the circumstances surrounding the 1969 Act of Free Choice in West Papua – or Irian Jaya as it is now known – and the role of the UN in that process. I am concerned about reports that the rights and freedoms of the West Papuan people were restricted at that time, and at current reports of on-going human rights abuses in that province.
I, along with my EU partners, have raised our concerns about the situation in Irian Jaya with the Indonesian authorities on a number of occasions. Most recently, at the General Affairs Council on 14 May 2001, we called on and encouraged the Indonesian government to make further urgent efforts to address and resolve peacefully the various conflicts in Indonesia, including Irian Jaya. We have been closely monitoring the situation in Irian Jaya, particularly since Mrs. Megawati Sukarnoputri became President of Indonesia. Later this year EU Heads of Mission in Jakarta plan to undertake a fact-finding mission to the province to evaluate at first hand the situation there.
To address the root causes of tension in Irian Jaya, the Government, as well as the EU, supports a forward-looking approach based on dialogue and negotiations between the local population and the authorities in Jakarta.
At this time, my own contacts indicate that initiating a review of the events of 1969 may not contribute to the amelioration of the current situation of the West Papuan people. It would be my concern that such a review may indeed prejudice on-going efforts to initiate a peaceful and meaningful dialogue with the Government authorities in Jakarta.
