On July 10, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution calling on President Clinton to "work actively to support an internationally supervised referendum on self-determination." (See article on front page.) President Clinton must now act on this resolution.

Please write to President Clinton (sample letters posted here) and your Representative today – the Congressional Session ends in October. You can also call or write the President:

White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111
Fax: (202) 456-2461; e-mail: president@whitehouse.gov

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC 20500

1. House Concurrent Resolution 258, which supports East Timor’s right to self-determination. Introduced by Representatives Lowey (D-NY), Porter (R-IL), Lantos (D-CA) and Christopher Smith (R-NJ).

2. International Military Training Accountability Act (H.R. 3802), which closes loopholes for U.S. military training of Indonesian troops, banning all such training.

To co-sponsor either or both bills, your Representative should contact Rep. Lowey’s office. Although each already has several dozen co-sponsors, more are needed to bring them to the House floor for passage.

For the past several years, the Foreign Aid Appropriations Acts have contained limitations on U.S. weapons sales to Indonesia and restrictions on U.S.-supplied training for Indonesian soldiers (IMET). In this year’s bill the Senate version prohibits the use of U.S. weapons in East Timor but allows IMET. The House bill bars IMET but says nothing about weapons sales. We want the final law (which must be agreed upon by a conference committee from both houses), to contain both provisions. Contact your Representative and Senator and urge them to let the conference committee know their support for the clearest possible message to Indonesia’s brutal, still-powerful, military.

Write to Rep. _________, US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.

Write to Senator _________, US Senate, Washington, DC 20510.