1477th meeting. June 17, 1997

On the issue of East Timor petitioner MARCO PERDUCA, of the Transnational Radical Party, said solution of the problem in East Timor had been delayed for too long. The time had come for a new commitment by the United Nations, in order to save the Maubere people and grant them self-determination, through a referendum in East Timor under United Nations supervision. A joint United Nations-European Union mission should be sent to the Territory to report on the human rights situation there. The setting up of an international criminal tribunal for East Timor was not the best way to deal with the heinous human rights violations, as it would only delay the whole process.

He then began to read a resolution on Indonesia which had been adopted by the European Parliament.

MARTY MULIANA NATALEGAWA (Indonesia), speaking on a point of order, objected to the reading of the resolution, which contained issues that were extraneous to the matter being addressed by the Special committee. The petitioner should limit his references to aspects of the resolution that were directly relevant to issue before the committee.

UTULA U. SAMANA (Papua New Guinea), Special committee Chairman, said the

petitioner should be allowed to complete his reading of the resolution.

Following the reading and a second objection by the representative of Indonesia, the Chairman said aspects of the resolution had not directly He focused on the issue before the committee and should not have been read. therefore agreed with the point of order raised by the Indonesian representative.