East Timor, Indonesia, and the international community

East Timor and Indonesia Form Commission on Truth and Friendship

The United States welcomes the formation by East Timor and Indonesia of a Commission on Truth and Friendship (CTF). We support the countries’ desire to strengthen their democracies, promote reconciliation, and bring closure to the human rights violations committed in East Timor in 1999. The Commission can be an important component of the overall effort to achieve accountability and reconciliation. The recommendations of the United Nations Commission of Experts, which is expected to complete its work in May, will be another key element in this endeavor.

We encourage the two commissions to coordinate closely. There needs to be a partnership between East Timor, Indonesia, and the international community. Internationally recognized accountability for the 1999 human rights violations, including finding the truth and identifying the perpetrators, will assist these two new democracies to move forward and achieve their many shared objectives. The United States will follow the work of the two commissions with great interest.

2005/303

Released on March 9, 2005 Press Statement Richard Boucher, Spokesman Washington, DC March 9, 2005