Council
- notes high level expressions of concern about East Timor from, inter alia, the US President and Congress, the Vatican, the UN Comission and Sub-Commission on Human Rights, the Portuguese President and international media;
- welcomes
(a) Australia's suport for the call by the UN Commission on human Rights for a UN sponsored political settlement and increased access to East Timor by humanitarian and human rights organisations and experts;
(b) the Clinton administration's suspension of some military aid and sales to Indonesia and support for a negotiated settlement; and
(c) the resumption of UN sponsored talks between Portugal and Indonesia and the continuing readiness of the Easdt Timorese resistance and churchm to praticipate in these talks;
- deplores the continuing abuses of human rights and repression in East TImor, the imprisonment of Xanana Gusmao, and the restrictions on human rights and an human rights organisations, particularly the International Red Cross
- Calls on the Australian government to work for a just and lasting peace in East Timor by urging Indonesia
(a) to cease blocking the participation of East TImorese resitance in Un sponsored talks
(b) to withdraw its troops from East Timor
(c) to release Xanana Gusmão and other East TImorese political prisoners; and
(d) to allow media and humanitarian and human rights organisations full and free access to East Timor
Commends
(a) the work of the East Timor Talks Campaign; and
(b) the establishment by a number of church agencies of the Christians in Solidarity with East Timor (CISET) project based in Sydney; and
- Urges Australian NGOs to support the work of the East Timor Talks Camapaign and give c0onsideration to sending a fact-finding mission to East Timor during the next twelve months.