U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING Briefer: Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2000, 1:45 P.M. (ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED) MR. REEKER: Good afternoon, everyone. Sorry for the slight delay. I just want to start by welcoming to our briefing this afternoon some new colleagues from the Bureau of Public Affairs. Carolyn Barranca, Jacqueline Clark, Wanda Cooper, Charles Vella, and Abigail Morales have all come down to see the fruits of their labors in terms of the most visible side of the Bureau of Public Affairs. I also want to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge with regret the departure of my friend and colleague, Adam Ereli, who was Director of the Office of Press Relations and is moving on to an assignment abroad. But we're very happy to welcome Mr. Chuck Hunter, who will replace Adam as the Director of the Office of Press Relations beginning this week. And I do have one statement which we'll post after the end of the briefing marking the anniversary in East Timor which will be celebrated this Wednesday marking the first anniversary of the August 30th, 1999, consultation organized and validated by the United Nations in which the overwhelming majority of the people of East Timor resisted violence and the threat of violence to vote for independence. So we wanted to congratulate the people of East Timor for their long, difficult and courageous struggle for independence, which is a year closer to realization. We also commend highly the work of the United Nations, which is continuing to oversee East Timor security and its transition to independence. But I must note that, sadly, over 100,000 refugees remain in camps in West Timor almost a year after the traumatic events that drove them from their homes. They live in an increasingly precarious security environment and with the second rainy season fast approaching, so we urge once again the Indonesian Government to restore security throughout West Timor and to develop a workable plan for the repatriation and resettlement of those refugees. The United States and the rest of the international community stand ready to assist. Finally, I think I must note and deplore the recent militia activity along the border and inside East Timor which has led to a series of increasingly violence incidents, including the death of two UN peacekeepers. The August 30th anniversary may well tempt these militias or others to resort to more violence, and I must reiterate that such violence must not be tolerated. The militias and those that support them must be disarmed and disbanded. (The briefing was concluded at 2:40 P.M.)
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