Vol. 540 No. 3
72 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will raise the right of the people of West Papua to national self-determination and freedom from abuse of their national and human rights by foreign Governments and multinational corporations with the Government of Indonesia, at EU level and at the United Nations Security Council. [20770/01]
The reports of human rights violations committed in Irian Jaya, or West Papua, as it is sometimes known, are a cause of serious concern to the Government. I am particularly concerned that the perpetrators of such violations, often members of the Indonesian security forces, have not been brought to justice.
This issue was discussed most recently at the meeting of the General Affairs Council in May. On that occasion we reiterated our call on the Indonesian authorities to strengthen respect for human rights throughout Indonesia. We also stressed the importance of the democratic accountability of the police and armed forces. The EU is furthermore pursuing a political dialogue with the Indonesian authorities at which our human rights concerns are brought to their attention.
At the United Nations, the UN Commission on Human Rights has been dealing with this issue. At the last session of the Commission in Geneva earlier this year, the EU encouraged the Indonesian authorities to establish human rights tribunals to try the suspects of human rights violations and stressed in particular the need to investigate reports of disappearances, arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial executions and torture in Irian Jaya.
The Government will continue to avail of every opportunity to urge the Indonesian authorities to ensure that the rights of the people of Irian Jaya are fully respected.
The Government, as well as our EU partners and Indonesia's neighbouring states, encourage the Indonesian Government to address the root causes of dissent in Irian Jaya through meaningful dialogue with local authorities. In this context, we support plans currently being finalised for regional autonomy for Irian Jaya, which attempt to address the province's problems, without affecting the territorial integrity of Indonesia.
