DATE=9/9/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CLINTON-TIMOR (L)
NUMBER=2-253677
BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST
DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
Intro: President Clinton is expressing increasing
frustration over Indonesia's approach to the East
Timor crisis, and sharpening his warnings about the
consequences if Jakarta fails to either curb the
violence or invite outside help to do so. VOA's David
Gollust reports from the White House.
Text: Mr. Clinton says Indonesian authorities are
thus far either unwilling or unable to take the
necessary steps to stop what he terms the "gross
abuses" being inflicted on the people of East Timor
following their independence vote.
In a talk with reporters here as he prepared to leave
for the Pacific-Rim summit in New Zealand, Mr. Clinton
made clear that the price to Jakarta of failing to act
or to invite outside peacekeepers to East Timor will
be the withdrawal of international aid and investments
- leading to what he termed a "crashed" economic
recovery:
/// Clinton Actuality ///
It would be pity if the Indonesian recovery were
crashed by this. But one way or the other, it
will be crashed by this if they don't fix it.
Because they'll be overwhelming public sentiment
to stop the international economic cooperation.
But quite to the side of that, nobody is going
to want to continue to invest there if they're
allowing this sort of travesty to go on. So I
think one way or the other, the economic
consequences to them are going to be very dire.
/// End Act ///
The President said the Administration has been told
clearly by the Indonesian government that it does not
want international intervention in East Timor. Yet he
said the Jakarta authorities have given no sign they
are ready to restore order themselves, and U-S
officials can only speculate why that is:
/// Clinton Actuality Two ///
Interpretation number one is they believe they
can stop this madness in East Timor and they
want to do it, and they don't want to have to
admit they have to have help to do it. Two is
nobody's got the authority to make a decision
because its chaotic there. They've already had
a presidential election, parliamentary
elections, but they haven't because of the
complex system for picking a new leader, they
haven't done that. Three is that at least some
elements in the country support what is
happening in East Timor for whatever reasons. In
other words they didn't like the results of the
referendum and they're trying to undo it by
running people out of the country or into the
grave.
/// End Act ///
Mr. Clinton said the Administration is still
discussing with other governments and the Congress
what the U-S role in an East Timor peacekeeping
mission might be, but he said the lion's share of the
burden would be borne by Australia and other regional
allies.
The President spoke a few hours after a Pentagon
announcement that the United States has suspended
military relations with Indonesia because of the
crisis. The United States provides only nominal
military aid to Indonesia but the step, among other
things, ends planning for future joint exercises and
officer exchanges. (Signed)
NEB/DAG/TVM/PT
09-Sep-1999 19:40 PM LOC (09-Sep-1999 2340 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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