On July 1st the U.S. Senate, by a 98-0 roll call vote, agreed to an amendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill on East Timor. The amendment requires the Clinton administration to intensify its support for self-determination for East Timor. Specifically, the Senate called for pressure to
- (1) disarm and disband anti-independence militias in East timor
- 2) grant full access to East Timor by international human rights monitors, humanitarian organizations, and the press
- (3) allow Timorese who have been living in exile to return to East Timor to campaign for and participate in the ballot
- (4) release all political prisoners. The full bill passed later in the day. Below is the transcript from the Congressional Record.
AMENDMENT NO. 1179
The Senator from Vermont [Mr. Leahy], for himself, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Reed, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Harkin, and Mrs. Boxer, proposes an amendment numbered 1179.
... The amendment is as follows:
At the appropriate place in the bill, add the following new section:
SELF-DETERMINATION IN EAST TIMOR
Sec. . (a) The President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of the Treasury (acting through United States executive directors to international financial institutions) should immediately intensify their efforts to prevail upon the Indonesian Government and military to--
(1) disarm and disband anti-independence militias in East timor;
(2) grant full access to East Timor by international human rights monitors, humanitarian organizations, and the press;
(3) allow Timorese who have been living in exile to return to East Timor to campaign for and participate in the ballot; and
(4) release all political prisoners.
(b) The President shall submit a report to Congress not later than 15 days after passage of this Act, containing a description of the Administration's efforts and his assessment of efforts made by the Indonesian Government and military to fulfill the steps described in paragraph (a).
(c) The Secretary of the Treasury shall direct the United States executive directors to international financial institutions to take into account the extent of efforts made by the Indonesian Government and military to fulfill the steps described in paragraph (a), in determining their vote on any loan or financial assistance to Indonesia.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the purpose of this amendment is to express strong support for a peaceful process of self-determination in East Timor.
The Indonesian Government has a historic opportunity to resolve a conflict that has been the cause of suffering and instability for 23 years.
It has made a commitment to vote on August 21st on East Timor's future, and has recognized its responsibility to ensure that the vote is free and fair.
On May 5, when I introduced a similar resolution, I remarked on Indonesia's accomplishments in the past year: President Suharto relinquished power; the Indonesian Government endorsed a vote on autonomy; and the United Nations, Portugal and Indonesia signed agreed on the procedures for that vote.
There has been more progress in the past month. Democratic elections have been held, the first members of an international observer mission and police force arrived in East Timor, and Nobel laureate Jose Romos Horta was invited to return to Jakarta for the first time in 24 years.
A year ago few people would have predicted that a settlement of East Timor's future would be in sight. However, there is deep concern that August 21st is quickly approaching, and the violence in East Timor will make a free and fair vote impossible.
In fact, the vote, initially scheduled for August 8th, was postponed by the United Nations until August 21st because of the violence.
Hundreds of civilians have been killed, injured, or disappeared in ongoing violence by anti-independence militias armed by members of the Indonesian military who want to sabotage the vote.
Human rights monitors and humanitarian organizations continue to face problems gaining access to the island, and members of the press have been threatened.
This amendment calls on the administration to immediately intensify its efforts to prevail upon the Indonesian Government to disarm and disband the anti-independence militias, grant full access to humanitarian organizations, and allow Timorese who have been living in exile to return home.
It directs the United State executive directors to international financial institutions to use their influence to encourage the Indonesian Government and military to create a stable and secure environment for the vote.
We should use all the resources at our disposal to convince the Indonesians to stop the violence. This is not only their responsibility, it is in their interests. If the Indonesian military succeeds in sabotaging the vote, Indonesia will face international condemnation.
On June 11th, I and other Members of Congress wrote to World Bank President James Wolfensohn about the need for the World Bank to use its leverage with the Indonesian Government.
Mr. President, the world community has recognized the urgency of this situation. An international monitoring and police presence throughout East Timor is critical to creating a secure environment.
The administration is already helping to pay the costs of the U.N. monitors and police, and they have made some progress in stemming the violence.
But far more needs to be done. It is time for the Indonesian Government and military to do their part--to act decisively to ensure that a free and fair vote can occur.
This amendment reinforces what others have said and what the Indonesian Government has already committed to do. It should be unanimously supported.
Mr. President, yesterday more than 100 anti-independence militiamen surrounded a newly opened United Nation's office in the East Timorese town of Maliana. Hurling rocks, the mob injured a diplomat from South Africa and at least a dozen Timorese who sought refuge inside the office. The U.N. building also sustained considerable damage.
In recent months I have spoken out about the escalating violence in East Timor on numerous occasions. I am offering an amendment today about the situation there.
The Indonesian Government and military have pledged to establish a safe and secure environment prior to the August 21st ballot on East Timor's political status. This alarming incident is a clear example that the Indonesian Government and military are not living up to their obligations. It is a clear example that their failure to act is having and will continue to have international consequences.
This latest attack suggests that despite the May 5th tripartite agreement, the presence of an international observer mission and police force and recent negotiations between the opposing factions about how to stem the violence, the situation is continuing to deteriorate. It could jeopardize the entire peace process.
The East Timorese have endured over 20 years of violence and repression. The international community has committed its resources to helping ensure that a free and fair ballot can be conducted. The United Nations has firmly stated that it has a job to do in East Timor and it will not be chased off by intimidation and harassment.
Mr. President, it is my hope that this violent attack will sound the alarm to the Indonesian government and military that they have an historic opportunity to finally establish peace in East Timor and that they must act immediately or it will be lost.
Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There is a sufficient second.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative assistant proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
.... AMENDMENT NO. 1179
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, are we now back on the Leahy amendment?
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Santorum). That is correct.
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise today to join my distinguished colleague from Vermont, Senator Leahy, to offer this amendment to encourage a peaceful process of self-determination in East Timor. This amendment closely mirrors what he and I and several other Senators expressed in Senate Resolution 96, and in a similar amendment to the State Department authorization bill. We are offering this amendment today to again highlight the significance of the process underway in East Timor that will once and for all determine its political status.
I want to commend the members of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee for including language relating to East Timor in the committee report accompanying this bill. I believe it is important that the Senate go on record regarding its support for the forthcoming ballot and in condemnation of the violence surrounding this historic vote.
As we all know, Indonesian President Habibie announced on January 27 that the Government of Indonesia was finally willing to seek to learn and respect the wishes of the people in that territory. On May 5, the Governments of Indonesia and Portugal signed an agreement to hold a United Nations- supervised `consultation' on August 8 to determine East Timor's future political status. This ballot has since been postponed to an as yet undetermined date in late August.
Despite the positive step forward that the ballot represents, excitement and tension over the possibility of gaining independence have in recent months led to a gross deterioration of the security situation. Militias, comprised of individuals determined to intimidate the East Timorese people into support for continued integration with Indonesia and widely believed to be supported by the Indonesian military, are responsible for a sharp increase in violence.
Just this week, members of a pro-Jakarta civilian militia attacked a United Nations regional headquarters in the Maliana township in East Timor. Several people, including a U.N. election officer, were wounded. This is latest in a string of violent incidents that have been linked to pro-Jakarta militias. Mr. President, this kind of violence and intimidation cannot be tolerated, especially at this crucial time.
In the May 5 agreement, the Government of Indonesia agreed to take responsibility for ensuring that the ballot is carried out in a fair and peaceful way. Unfortunately, it is unclear that they are implementing this aspect of the agreement. Quite the opposite. Whether Indonesian troops have actually participated in some of these incidents or not, the authorities certainly most accept the blame for allowing, and in some cases encouraging, the bloody tactics of the pro-integration militias. The continuation of this violence is a threat to the very sanctity and legitimacy of the process that is underway. Thus, the Leahy-Feingold amendment specifically calls on Jakarta to do all it can to seek a peaceful process and a fair resolution to the situation in East Timor.
Mr. President, I believe the United States has a responsibility--an obligation--to put as much pressure as possible on the Indonesian government to help encourage an environment conducive to a free, fair, peaceful ballot process for the people of East Timor. I am pleased that we have taken a leadership role in offering technical, financial, and diplomatic support to the recently authorized U.N. Assistance Mission in East Timor, known as UNAMET.
Mr. President, it is not in our power to guarantee the free, fair exercise of the rights of the people of East Timor to determine their future. It is, however, in our interest to do all that we can to work with the United Nations, other concerned countries, the government of Indonesia and the people of East Timor to create an opportunity for a successful ballot process. We cannot forget that the Timorese have been living with violence and oppression for more than 23 years. These many years have not dulled the desire of the East Timorese for freedom, or quieted their demands to have a role in the determination of East Timor's status.
We have to do all we can to support an environment that can produce a fair ballot in East Timor. Now. And throughout the rest of this process.
I hope my colleagues will support this amendment.
I yield the floor.
THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment of the Senator from Vermont. On this question, the yeas and nays have been ordered, and the clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
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Mr. NICKLES. I announce that the Senator from Florida (Mr. Mack) and the Senator from Arizona (Mr. McCain) are necessarily absent.
The result was announced--yeas 98, nays 0, as follows:
Rollcall Vote No. 188 Leg.
[Rollcall Vote No. 188 Leg.]
YEAS--98
Abraham Akaka Allard Ashcroft Baucus Bayh Bennett Biden Bingaman Bond Boxer Breaux Brownback Bryan Bunning Burns Byrd Campbell Chafee Cleland Cochran Collins Conrad Coverdell Craig Crapo Daschle DeWine Dodd Domenici Dorgan Durbin Edwards Enzi Feingold Feinstein Fitzgerald Frist Gorton Graham Gramm Grams Grassley Gregg Hagel Harkin Hatch Helms Hollings Hutchinson Hutchison Inhofe Inouye Jeffords Johnson Kennedy Kerrey Kerry Kohl Kyl Landrieu Lautenberg Leahy Levin Lieberman Lincoln Lott Lugar McConnell Mikulski Moynihan Murkowski Murray Nickles Reed Reid Robb Roberts Rockefeller Roth Santorum Sarbanes Schumer Sessions Shelby Smith (NH) Smith (OR) Snowe Specter Stevens Thomas Thompson Thurmond Torricelli Voinovich Warner Wellstone Wyden
NOT VOTING--2
Mack McCain
The amendment (No. 1179) was agreed to.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
Mr. BROWNBACK. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative assistant proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.