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#30 From: Rolf Lindahl <rolf.lindahl@...>
Date: Tue Feb 8, 2000 3:57 pm
Subject: The British challenge
rolf.lindahl@...
Send Email Send Email
 
Hello,

On the 11 of January Britain declared not to give export credits for
military purposes to poor countries (so called IDA-countries=definition by
the World bank).

Among the IDA countries are India and Pakistan.

The British Chancellor Of The Exchequer, Mr Gordon Brown, who revealed this
news also urged "all countries to ban export credits for unproductive
expenditure in all IDA only countries and join us in banishing forever the
spectre of unproductive unpayable debt."

Read about IDA-countries at: http://www.worldbank.org/ida/idalloc.htm

Read Mr Bown's speach at:
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/policy/papers/brown/brown.htm

Here is an extract of his speech. And below that is a Press release from
Oxfam about this.

Maybe, we'll do something in Sweden about this.
Rolf Lindahl

Chancellor Of The Exchequer, Mr Gordon Brown
"While we were pursuing agreement on the HIPC initiative, Britain banned
export credits for unproductive expenditure in the forty one highly
indebted poor countries for a two year period and did so unilaterally. This
ban has now expired. But the problems faced by these countries as we all
know will take much longer to resolve. It is right that we announce today
that Britain will, once again unilaterally, extend this ban to help ensure
these countries are released from poverty.

But HIPCs are of course not the only poor countries in the world. There are
others as poor and, while they do not have a historic debt burden, can ill
afford to take on new burdens of commercial loans for unproductive
expenditure. We will therefore also widen the ban to all countries defined
by the World Bank as "IDA only" - poor countries who can only borrow from
the world bank on highly concessional terms - currently a further 22
countries.

Britain’s export credits will only support productive enterprise that
assist social and economic development and thus reduce poverty. Britain’s
ban will of course only fully achieve its aim if it is applied by all
exporting countries. Just as our pledge to unilaterally write off all debts
due from HIPCs was a pledge with a purpose - to call on others to follow -
so is this pledge. I urge all countries to ban export credits for
unproductive expenditure in all IDA only countries and join us in banishing
forever the spectre of unproductive unpayable debt."


---------------------


Oxfam welcomes decision to stop underwriting arms sales to world’s poor

OXFAM today supported Chancellor Gordon Brown’s announcement that the UK is
to stop underwriting the sale of military weapons to 62 of the world’s
poorest countries.

"We welcome this critical spotlight on arms sales and the inappropriate use
of taxpayers’ money to guarantee such sales," Oxfam Policy director Justin
Forsyth said. "Our staff see on a daily basis the human consequences of
massive amounts of weapons that exist especially in poor countries that are
often prone to, or emerging from, violent conflict."
Mr Brown will be making the announcement at the Oxfam-sponsored Gilbert
Murray Memorial speech at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford tonight (7:30pm,
11 Jan).

"This is an important first step," Mr Forsyth said. "And we are calling on
the UK Government to lead the way toward an eventual multilateral agreement
that will ban all export credits for military purposes to all countries."
"Tonight’s announcement - together with the Government’s commitment to 100%
debt relief to the world’s poorest countries - is a turning point," he
said. "What we need now is to ensure that money saved in debt repayment is
ploughed back into health and education," Forsyth said.

Oxfam is calling for international leadership to ensure the realisation of
the 2015 poverty targets, in particular progress toward getting every child
into school.
Note:
1. The Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD), is the government
department tasked to underwrite British exports using export credit
guarantees. It backed £763 million worth of UK arms business in 1997/98,
which made up 24% of its total deals in that year. The ECGD recently
underwent a public review, at which Oxfam urged it to stop backing arms
sales to poor countries.
2. The 2015 Poverty Target of getting every child into school is a key
agenda item at the World Education Forum at Dakar in April 2000.

For further comment contact Oxfam Media Unit on 01865-312498 or 07803-387497





- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Rolf Lindahl
Vapenexportutredare
rolf.lindahl@...

Svenska Freds- och Skiljedomsföreningen
Box 41 34
102 63 Stockholm
08-702 18 30
http://www.svenska-freds.se

#29 From: "Rolf Lindahl" <rolf.lindahl@...>
Date: Mon Feb 7, 2000 9:47 am
Subject: Celsius gets arms order from India
rolf.lindahl@...
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Sorry about the delay!
Rolf Lindahl



Press release from Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society, 2000-02-02

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Celsius gets order of spare parts to the Indian army
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Swedish arms producer Celsius, owner of Bofors, has got an order concerning
spare parts to Howitzer 77B the company declares in a press release February 2,
2000. The value of the order is 105 million Swedish crowns and is a follow-on
delivery from the original contract with Bofors AB in 1986.

- Celsius and Bofors are not willing to attend the court case and tell the truth
about the bribe scandal in the 80´s. But they are obviously eager to sell new
military equipment to India, says Jens Petersson, Secretary General of the
Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society.

SAAB has recently declared its decision to merge with Celsius within short. The
new SAAB will then become the biggest arms producer in Sweden and will be the
prime actor in Sweden's arms affairs.

- Several years of boycott of Bofors did not help to reveal the truth about the
bribe scandal. Now the Indian government will get a new party to negotiate with.
Wouldn't it be logical for the Indian government not to sign any more contracts
until the truth has come forward? asks Jens Petersson.

According to Celsius sources there are discussions about even further
deliveries. However, the scope of such affairs could not be judged today they
declare in the press release.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information
Jens Petersson
+ 46 8 702 26 50
info@...
http://www.svenska-freds.se

#28 From: "Rolf Lindahl" <rolf.lindahl@...>
Date: Fri Feb 4, 2000 3:19 pm
Subject: Sweden must help India in Bofors scandal
rolf.lindahl@...
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Press release from the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society, Feb 4th 2000

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----
Sweden must help the Indian prosecutor in the Bofors scandal
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----

Today, February 4th, Sweden's Minister for Trade, Mr Leif Pagrotsky, opened a
two day long international seminar on the theme "Corruption in the Arms Trade".
The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society praises the initiative, but demands at
the same time that the Swedish Government puts it's own house in order.

- It is excellent that the Minister for Trade wants to fight corruption in the
arms trade sector. But he should begin with putting his own house in order says
Jens Petersson, Secretary General of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society.

In today's issue of Dagens Nyheter, Sweden's largest daily newspaper, Mr Leif
Pagrotsky says that as far as he knows the government has been assisting the
Indian government as much as is allowed according to Swedish law.

But the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society claims that previous Swedish
governments has not done everything they can to facilitate the Indian
investigation into the Bofors bribe scandal.

Swedish governments, both the Social democrats (1991) as well as the
Conservatives (1992) have rejected a request from the Indian police to assist in
their crime investigation concerning Bofors' bribe scandal in India. The Indian
investigators did, among other things, ask for the documents from the now closed
down preliminary investigation by the Swedish chief prosecutor, Mr Lars
Ringberg. The judgement by the Office of the Prosecutor-General was that the
documents could be handed out, but the government said no.

- This shows that the Swedish government has consciously chosen not to
facilitate for the Indian judicial system to find the truth about the Bofors
bribe scandal in India, states Jens Petersson.

- The new effort by minister Pagrotsky against corruption within the trade of
arms should lead to the Swedish government reconsidering its former decisions
and help the Indian police and court to find the truth about the Bofors case.

- I do believe that the Minister of Trade honestly wants to fight corruption. If
I were the Indian prosecutor in this case I would therefore once again demand to
see the documents that the Swedish government classified in 1991 and again in
1992, says Jens Petersson at the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society.

***
For more information please contact:
Jens Petersson, +46-8-702 26 50, mobile: +46-709-540 510.
Secretary General
Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society
Email contact: jens.petersson@... (working hours)
Email home: jens.hem@... (evenings and weekends)
http://www.svenska-freds.se
***

Footnote:
The opening speech of  the "Colloquium on Corruption in the Arms Trade" by Mr
Leif Pagrotsky, the Swedish Minister for Trade is available at this URL.
http://www.ud.se/english/press/spetrmin/000204_0.htm

#27 From: amokmar@...
Date: Fri Feb 4, 2000 9:28 am
Subject: Arms trafficking
amokmar@...
Send Email Send Email
 
Arms trafficking

      “Two man sold 40 Canadian armored personnel carriers, APC
  engines, and other parts to Iran for millions of dollars, Israeli
     police claims. The deals and transactions involved firms in
   Britain, Holland, Germany, and Belgium. Police also suspect that
       Cohen [one of the men] had ties with a South Korean arms
      dealer known to supply Iran. To hide the transactions, the
     equipment was shipped from Germany to Holland, on to Britain
       and to Singapore before reaching its final destination.

[The Jerusalem Post Internet Edition]
Main News Article
Thursday, February 3 2000 10:15 27 Shevat 5760

Two remanded for selling arms to Iran
By Margot Dudkevitch

  PETAH TIKVA (February 3) - The two Israeli  businessmen
suspected of being involved in the sale of Canadian military
equipment to the Iran during 1996-'97, were remanded
yesterday by the
  Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court.

Key suspect Eli Cohen, 50, was remanded for eight days, and
his relative and business partner Avihai Weinstein, for five days.
Police said the two assisted an enemy at war with Israel, which
is punishable by death of a life sentence.

Cohen was arrested in the US in 1992, suspected of selling
Hawk missiles and other military
equipment to Iran. He was sentenced to six months' house arrest
and then returned to Israel, where he was sentenced to three
month's probation and fined in a plea bargain, possibly because
the authorities were hesitant to reveal sources and people
involved in the affair abroad.

Judge Noga Ohad noted in her decision that “from the material I
reviewed, it appears there
have been attempts to coordinate testimony and erase evidence,
which can be perceived as obstruction of justice."

While the two denied the charges, claiming they had no
knowledge that the equipment was destined for Iran, the police
claimed that the two sold 40 Canadian armored personnel
carriers, APC engines, and other parts to Iran for millions of
dollars. The deals and transactions involved firms in Britain,
Holland, Germany, and Belgium. Police also suspect that Cohen
had ties with a South Korean arms
dealer known to supply Iran. To hide the transactions, the
equipment was shipped from Germany to
Holland, on to Britain and to Singapore before reaching its final
destination.

Defense attorney Haim Misgav told the court that Cohen acted
as an intermediary for Dutch and British firms and had no
knowledge of the equipment’s final destination. He claimed that
the military equipment was Canadian surplus that had been out
of use for many years.

  Police said that evidence suggests otherwise.

Speaking to reporters, Cohen said: "I didn't sell anything to any
country. I mediated a deal between one European country and
another. I didn’t purchase or sell anything."

  Police also confiscated three computers from the suspects'
company in Binyamina and asked the  court to extend the period
they remain in police possession for 21 days, claiming that it
would take some time to examine the material on the computers'
hard drives. Ohad agreed on the condition that the suspects
produce three hard drives that would be copied by police and
handed back to them for use in their company's operations.

Police are also examining possible sales of a larger scope. On
Sunday, police investigators from  two of the European countries
will join local detectives in the investigation.



Campagne tegen Wapenhandel
Pesthuislaan 39
1054 RH Amsterdam
tel/fax 00 31 (0)20 6164684
email: amokmar@...
http://www.antenna.nl/amokmar see also: http://www.antenna.nl/enaat

#26 From: Gideon Burrows <gideon@...> (by way of AMOK-Noord en/of Boekhandel Rosa <rosaboek@...>)
Date: Thu Feb 3, 2000 12:41 pm
Subject: [studentcaat] Economic Arguments Against Arms Sales
gideon@...
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This might of interest for some. Hope you don't mind that I spread your
postings through the ENAAT list, Gideon.
Frank Slijper
=============================================
From: Gideon Burrows <gideon@...>


The hardest argument to counter about the arms trade is that it is good
for UK jobs, and good for the economy.

Here's just a little help. This guy is mainstream - big time, and writes
often for the FT. He knows his stuff, and is well worth quoting. I have
paper copies if anyone wants it sending.

I hope the New Statesman doesn't mind me sending it to you. If the do -
here's an advert: The NS is available for 2 quid each week, and is a
joly good magazine. Some stuff can be read online at
www.newstatesman.co.uk, from which this article comes.

Cheers.

Gideon.


            Samuel Brittan Monday 31st January 2000




       Samuel Brittan argues that selling weapons to odious regimes, as
well as being ethically wrong, isn't economically good for us either

       In a telling Times cartoon, a buoyant Tony Blair was shown
exclaiming: "We need a hawk" (meaning a more determined military effort
in East Timor). On the side he was shown piloting one of the Hawk
aircraft that the UK had been delivering to Indonesia for many years for
the use of the country's military dictator, General Suharto.

       The official defence was that these aircraft were supplied under a
contract approved by the previous Conservative government. This begins
to wear thin when the same excuse is given for the resumption of
deliveries of Hawk fighter spare parts for the government of Zimbabwe,
after a brief suspension during the fighting in the Congo, in which
Zimbabwe was heavily involved.

       The Labour government has indeed stepped up action to limit arms
sales. British ministers have taken the lead in pressing for a European
code of conduct on arms control, which was agreed in 1998; and Gordon
Brown began the millennium by adding 22 new poor countries over and
above the existing 41 covered by the ban on export credits "for
unproductive expenditure".

       Indonesia, however, is still not on the list. And because the
Chancellor's action was in the context of debt relief for poor
countries, it did not affect Saudi Arabia, which accounts for about one
third of British arms sales under the somewhat mysterious Al Yamamah
"arms for oil" deal, originally struck by the Thatcher government as far
back as 1986.

       So does an ethical foreign policy have to take second place to
hard commercial realities? Do we have to accept the argument that,
though many of these arms deals are undesirable, jobs depend on them and
that if Britain did not promote them, other countries would take the
orders instead?

       We should be on our guard when politicians defend dubious policies
by declaring "jobs are at stake". This is so whether it is an "old
Labour" supporter wanting to protect manufacturing, a Tory spokesman
talking about the employment provided by hunting, a "new Labour"
minister allowing Mike Tyson into the country because "jobs are
involved" or a business lobbyist pushing for arms sales to dubious
regimes.

       The argument that jobs derived from exporting weapons cannot be
replaced is akin to the argument for keeping open uneconomic coal mines
for the sake of employment. Yet it is often just those people who
lecture us on the need for workers to change jobs, and who say that full
employment cannot mean the same employment, who are most keen to promote
the sale of arms.

       Such arguments are based on the myth that there is a lump of
labour that is engaged in making specific products. Then, it is
supposed, if orders or output are lost in one area they cannot be
regained anywhere else. But people change jobs constantly. Well over
three million people leave the unemployment register each year even in
recession periods, over half of them for new jobs or training. Indeed,
it is almost certainly easier for arms workers, many of whom have a wide
range of valued skills, to find new jobs than it was for miners, whose
training was far more specific.

       There is a good deal of confusion about how large arms sales are,
partly because aerospace exports are not recorded in the customs total.
The Defence Manufacturers Association - which is hardly likely to
underestimate - values "defence exports" (measured by orders rather than
sales) at around £5-6 billion a year or a little over 0.5 per cent of
GDP. The number of workers employed is 130,000.

       Few critics would suggest a complete ban on arms sales; but a cut
of one-third would effectively eliminate the most dubious items. So we
are talking about a loss of 0.167 per cent of GDP or just over 40,000
jobs.

       Let us suppose, then, that British arms exports were cut by £1
billion or £2 billion a year. The arms lobby will say that what is at
stake is not merely jobs but exports - another sacred cow of bogus
economics. Let us grant that these exports would have to be replaced or
imports reduced in their stead. There is no more a fixed lump of exports
than there is a fixed lump of jobs. We are talking about the loss of 0.5
per cent of UK exports of goods and services. This might involve a
miniscule devaluation and some slight adjustment in monetary and fiscal
policy. If we cut through the technicalities, the cost could be a small
deterioration in the terms of exchange between British exports and
imports from overseas amounting to around 0.25 per cent of GDP.

       In fact, this arithmetic is far too generous to the arms lobbies.
It would apply if we were talking about an industry that doesn't get
special government help; in that case, the resources involved would have
to move to their next best use. But arms sales do not represent, even in
the narrowest economic terms, the best use of national resources. They
are so heavily supported by the taxpayer that there might actually be a
gain in moving the workers, plant and technical skills to other
activities that could pay for themselves.

       Taxpayer support starts with the never-ending procession of
royalty, ministers and ambassadors who promote arms sales abroad, to say
nothing of the military and trade attaches. Then there is the Defence
Export Services Organisation, which provides marketing and military
assistance.

       Moreover, arms sales are often backed by the Export Credits
Guarantee Department (ECGD), which provides "insurance and finance
packages for exporters of capital goods and services and political risk
insurance" - in other words, taxpayer support for sales that would not
pass muster on purely commercial terms. While public enterprises are set
a target real rate of return of 6 per cent, this department has to do no
more than break even on average. The projects involved go well beyond
arms and include the planned Ilisu Dam in Turkey, which will flood a
site of cultural and religious significance to millions of Kurds.

       The much-maligned Treasury tends to fight these deals, but is
often defeated. Andrew Tyrie, a special adviser to both Nigel Lawson and
John Major, and now a Conservative MP, wrote in the Financial Times on 1
February, 1991: "It is illogical to indulge in a competition to give
away our own exports through an auction of subsidies." Huw Evans, a
former Treasury deputy secretary, has said that the ECGD is too
vulnerable to intensive lobbying of ministers by large corporations and
that it should become an independent agency.

       The arms producers argue that the government should continue to
support exports because the proceeds contribute to the overhead costs of
firms supplying the British military. These considerations cut both
ways. The drive for arms sales itself distorts the design and production
plans of British manufacturers and, in the view of some defence
economists, offsets the savings in overheads. In any case, only some
arms exports would be affected by a ban in the spirit of our supposed
ethical foreign policy. Moreover, economies of scale could readily be
achieved by greater specialisation among Nato countries - a process
inhibited by the desire of so many governments to protect domestic
firms.

       The damage inflicted by official arms promotion goes well beyond
the harmful potential of the arms themselves, bad though that is. Many
other undesirable policies are rationalised in terms of the need to keep
arms purchasers sweet. How else can one explain the extreme sensitivity
in official quarters to any criticism of Saudi Arabia and the pressure
once put on the BBC over The Death of a Princess? Why did a British
Conservative government take the rare step of over-riding a minuted
reservation of a permanent secretary in order to finance the Pergau Dam?

       Some will say that these actions represent the triumph of hard-
boiled commercial self-interest over sentimental moral concerns. It
would be bad enough if they did. But in fact the arguments are neither
hard-boiled nor commercial, nor really ones of national self-interest.

       The root of the matter is the belief throughout the political and
business establishment that exports are worthwhile for their own sake,
irrespective of the terms on which they are sold and how much they have
to be subsidised. It is for this reason that prime ministers, whether
Thatcher, Major or Blair, time and again come down against the Treasury
in favour of controversial arms deals or dubious overseas capital
projects. These attitudes are a hangover from the siege economy days of
Stafford Cripps and have no place in a global market economy.

       The recent report of the Commons Trade and Industry Committee
swallowed the case of the capital goods and arms exporters, hook, line
and sinker. Not merely did it come down heavily against any change in
the status of the ECGD, but it criticised the Treasury for daring to
hold up some deals by asking a few critical questions. It did not even
print the memorandum of Huw Evans, let alone take evidence from him.

       It is obviously desirable to bring other countries into efforts to
restrict arms sales. But even if other countries do not co- operate as
much as we would like, the effort is still worth making. When many of
these exports are not worthwhile in hard economic terms, there is no
case for governments supporting them, whatever other countries do. It is
not a good idea to hit yourself on the head because your friends are
doing the same.

       The politicians' appeal to competitive market economics is bogus;
they are confusing it with a soft spot for commercial interests. On the
issue of arms sales, genuine market economics should be an ally of
political radicalism.


Campaign Against Arms Trade
11 Goodwin St
Finsbury Park
London N4 3HQ

Tel: 0171 2810297
Fax: 0171 2814369

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#25 From: "Ernst Guelcher" <eguelcher@...>
Date: Thu Feb 3, 2000 9:00 am
Subject: European Parliament will produce a report on arms exports/code of conduct
eguelcher@...
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This is to inform all of you that a decision has been taken in the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the European Parliament to come up before long with a
report plus resolution on the implementation of the European Union Code of 
Conduct on Arms Exports. That report will be based on the first annual report on
this issue which was published last year by the Finnish Presidency (see their
website). Mr.Gary Titly (MEP) will be the rapporteur and sofar nothing is known
about substance and timetable. More details to follow. Those interested to be
involved, please let me know.

Hope this help,

ernst guelcher
(Green/EFA Group in the European Parliament - Peace and Disarmament; Human
Rights)

#24 From: "Ernst Guelcher" <eguelcher@...>
Date: Wed Feb 2, 2000 4:08 pm
Subject: Fwd: Second annual report on implementation of the EU illicit trafficking programme
eguelcher@...
Send Email Send Email
 
The second annual report on implementation of the "EU programme for
preventing and combating illicit trafficking in conventional arms" was
published in the Official Journal (C 15, 19 January 2000)
(http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/oj/index.html).


[This message contained attachments]

#23 From: "Ernst Guelcher" <eguelcher@...>
Date: Tue Feb 1, 2000 3:43 pm
Subject: EU report on illegal arms trade
eguelcher@...
Send Email Send Email
 
(EU) EU/CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS: Second annual report on illegal arms trade shows
many initiatives
Brussels, 31/01/2000 (Agence Europe) - The second annual report on
implementation of the European Union programme for the prevention of illegal
conventional arms traffic and action against this traffic (programme adopted on
26 June 1997) stresses that, during the second year of implementation, the
Member States made active efforts to implement the main lines of he programme
and to diffuse its principles. The report, published on 19 January in the
Official Journal (C15), stresses that it is increasingly necessary to address
issues related to the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons and
their proliferation, mainly in regions where there are conflicts and where there
have been recent crises, and that the EU Member States contributed to the
solution to this problem by implementing national projects and actions under the
aegis of the Union, and also by actively participating in work of international
organisations (and in particular projects such as UN action in former Yugoslavia
and the draft UN protocol on firearms), as well as regional projects, mainly in
Africa. The report stresses that, in over to avoid duplication, the different
working groups of the EU which deal with such matters should coordinate their
efforts more. It considers that, in future, the EU could envisage grouping into
a single document the annual report on joint EU action concerning small arms and
light weapons, and the EU programme for combating the illegal trade in
conventional weapons.

The report notes initiatives taken to fight against the illegal trafficking in
weapons:

within and into the EU. The document indicates that several countries (such as
France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden) has set up interministerial
committees or ad hoc groups in order to coordinate this fight, that Finland is
training customs agents in border areas, and that the EU "Police Cooperation
working group" has endorsed a route policing project for combating illicit
trafficking of firearms within the Member States.

in other regions. The report notes above all the Council declaration of 18 June
1999 on the trafficking of weapons to the African Great Lakes region. The
co-sponsoring by the EU of the UN Resolution "to convene an international
conference on the illicit arms trade in all its aspects no later than 2001";
financial aid by Sweden, Finland, Belgium and the Netherlands with a view to a
global campaign on small arms and light weapons; aid from the United Kingdom and
the Netherlands to a South African NGO for the development of legislation in
South Africa; economic support by France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the
Netherlands and Sweden to the moratorium of the Economic Community of Western
African States (ECOWAS) on the import, export and manufacture of small arms and
light weapons; the co-funding by Portugal of a seminar organised in June 1998 in
Libreville on the consolidation of peace thanks to disarmament; and financial
aid from Sweden to the activities of the United Nations Lima Regional Centre for
disarmament.

#22 From: Rolf Lindahl <rolf.lindahl@...>
Date: Fri Jan 28, 2000 12:28 pm
Subject: Webpage about Eurosatery
rolf.lindahl@...
Send Email Send Email
 
http://www.fermons-eurosatory.com is now online.

Read here all information on the campaign to shut down one of
europe's biggest arms fairs.





- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Rolf Lindahl
Vapenexportutredare
rolf.lindahl@...

Svenska Freds- och Skiljedomsföreningen
Box 41 34
102 63 Stockholm
08-702 18 30
http://www.svenska-freds.se

#21 From: "Ernst Guelcher" <eguelcher@...>
Date: Tue Jan 25, 2000 12:59 pm
Subject: Re: No EU-embargo on Indonesia
eguelcher@...
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Hi friends in ENAAT,

As far as I can see the governments have all of them been giving confusing and
contradicting signals concerning the EU arms embargo on Indonesia. This morning
in the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee the Portuguese Minister
of Foreign Affairs 'forgot' to answer to a question on this topic. But at least
the EU General Affairs Council has decided that the EU Code of Conduct should be
applied strictly in the case of Indonesia. As you all know the European
Parliament has at least adopted two resolutions demanding the prolongation of
the arms embargo and therefore will not be very happy with any news about arms
deliveries being resumed. Please let me have all facts and figures (and rumors)
which might confirm that arms are going again from EU to Indonesia. Only such
information will provide us with a basis for further political action on short
notice.

Thanks a lot,

Ernst Guelcher
(Green/EFA Group in the European Parliament - Peace and disarmament)



>>> Jens Petersson <jens.petersson@...> 01/25/00 11:18 >>>
From: Jens Petersson <jens.petersson@...>

According to Svenska Freds sources the Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh
rose the question on having a new arms embargo against Indonesia at
yesterday s meeting between the EU foreign ministers.

She was however, "fairly lonely" in promoting such an idea according to our
source, who also said that the Dutch foreign minister explained that he had
visited Indonesia and been given a "promise" that the Government there will
do everything they can to put/hold the Indonesian armed forces under
"democratic/parliamentary" control.

And that statement killed any further debate on the issue I gather?!

Jens, Svenska Freds
---------------------------------------
Jens Petersson
generalsekreterare
Svenska Freds- och Skiljedomsföreningen
Box 4134
102 63  STOCKHOLM
08-702 18 30 (växel)
08-702 26 50 (direkt)
0709-540 510 (mobil)
fax: 08-702 18 46
e-post: jens.petersson@...
"Internet": www.svenska-freds.se
---------------------------------------

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#20 From: Jens Petersson <jens.petersson@...>
Date: Tue Jan 25, 2000 10:18 am
Subject: No EU-embargo on Indonesia
jens.petersson@...
Send Email Send Email
 
According to Svenska Freds sources the Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh
rose the question on having a new arms embargo against Indonesia at
yesterday´s meeting between the EU foreign ministers.

She was however, "fairly lonely" in promoting such an idea according to our
source, who also said that the Dutch foreign minister explained that he had
visited Indonesia and been given a "promise" that the Government there will
do everything they can to put/hold the Indonesian armed forces under
"democratic/parliamentary" control.

And that statement killed any further debate on the issue I gather?!

Jens, Svenska Freds
---------------------------------------
Jens Petersson
generalsekreterare
Svenska Freds- och Skiljedomsföreningen
Box 4134
102 63  STOCKHOLM
08-702 18 30 (växel)
08-702 26 50 (direkt)
0709-540 510 (mobil)
fax: 08-702 18 46
e-post: jens.petersson@...
"Internet": www.svenska-freds.se
---------------------------------------

#19 From: "Ernst Guelcher" <eguelcher@...>
Date: Thu Jan 20, 2000 10:03 am
Subject: Re: Resumed Arms sales to Indonesia - protest.
eguelcher@...
Send Email Send Email
 
Hello friends,

Thanks for your message. Although the European Parliament this afternoon
(Thursday 20/1) will adopt a resolution reiterating its demand to continue the
EU arms embargo on Indonesia, it is clear that the EU Council is not willing to
do so. Therefore please provide us with any details of whatever kind about
resumed arms deliveries to the region. Next week the Portuguese EU presidency
will speak in the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and that will
be another opportunity for confronting questioning.

thank you very much and all the best

Ernst Guelcher
(Green/EFA Group in the European Parliament - Peace and Disarmament)

>>> Ian Burn <ian-burn@...> 01/20/00 10:29 >>>
Ernst and Arnold

For Your Information this is what our local peace lobby has organised in
relation to this.

Ian

20 January 2000

ACTION ALERT !

RESUMED ARMS SALES TO INDONESIA - CREATING THE NEXT 'EAST TIMOR'

Kia ora,

further to our messages on Tuesday about the European Union decision to
lift their arms embargo on arms sales to Indonesia, you may have noticed a
truly startling silence in the NZ mass media and from the government on
that decision.

We have therefore this morning faxed Kim Hill (Radio NZ morning programme
presenter) following her interview of the NZ ambassador to Indonesia
(during which the increasing level of violence was discussed, but no
mention was made of the EU decision). If you are as concerned about the
decision as we are, then please make your views known  !

  This alert has three parts :

1) text based on our fax to Kim Hill, 20 January 2000;

2) details for contacting NZ government / national media;

3) the Guardian article (19 Janaury 2000) 'UK minister defends arms sales
to Indonesia' which provides more info on the situation.

If you require any more information, you can check out the East Timor
section in our website at
<http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/east.htm>

This section of our website will be updated later tonight.

Thanks to Marion Hancock (Peace Foundation) and Joe Buchanan (East Timor
Action) for assistance with this alert.

  *****  1 ***** 1 ***** 1 ***** 1 *****

This bit is based on the text of our fax to Kim Hill this morning :

We have just been listening with considerable interest to your interview
with the NZ Ambassador to Indonesia on the deteriorating situation in parts
of Indonesia, and enjoyed your questions very much.

However, we do feel an important and deeply troubling aspect of the
situation escaped attention. Your listeners would no doubt have been very
interested in your asking for his viewpoint on the decision of the European
Union to resume arms sales to Indonesia. The decision was made Tuesday
evening (our time), and there has not to our knowledge been any mention
made of it on Radio NZ or TVNZ.

There has not as yet been any statement about the EU decision from the NZ
government. Given Helen Clark's valid criticism yesterday of the Japanese
government for their whaling practices, we had anticipated an equally
strong response from her to the EU governments. Their decision will result
in an increase in the weapons available to an all-ready over armed military
which has a proven record of murdering civilians in large numbers -
somewhat akin to pouring petrol on a fire, one would've thought. As well,
it may increase the risk to the safety of NZ soldiers on duty in East Timor.

Only five months ago, those members of parliament then in opposition, now
in government, and the journalists reporting on Radio NZ and TVNZ were
expressing horror and dismay as the situation in East Timor deteriorated
into total chaos and carnage.

Yet this week those very same people remain silent as the foundations are
laid for the next 'East Timor' - in West Papua, Aceh, Lombok ...

Please don't let this silence continue.

*****  2 ***** 2 ***** 2 ***** 2 *****

Contact details :

a) Government - * Letters - all letters should be addressed to the relevant
person and posted (no stamp needed) to Parliament Buildings, Wellington.

* Phone calls and faxes (all to be prefixed by 04 by those of you out of
Wellington) -

~ Helen Clark, Prime Minister, office - tel 471 9998, fax 473 3579;
~ Jim Anderton, Deputy Prime Minister, office - tel 471 9011, fax 495 8441;
~ Phil Goff, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, office - tel 471 9370,
fax 495 8444;
~ Mark Burton, Minister of Defence, office - tel 471 9715, fax 495 8465
(Mark Burton will be visiting East Timor at the beginning of February);
~ The Cabinet (collectively), office - tel 471 9743, fax 472 6332.

* ideally you should send a copy of your correspondence to Matt Robson,
Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, fax 495 8462; to the Green
Party Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Keith Locke, Green's office, fax
472 6003; and a copy of your correspondence and of any replies to PMA for
our files.

b) You could also write to the national / nationally distributed media
:Christchurch Press, fax (03) 364 8492, <editorial@...>; Dominion,
fax (04) 4740257; Evening Post, fax; (04) 474 0237, <editor@...>;
New Zealand Herald, fax (09) 373 6434, <letters@...>; Sunday Star
Times, fax (09) 309 0258; Press Association, fax (04) 473 7480; Radio New
Zealand, fax (04) 473 0185; Listener, fax (09) 360 3831,
<editor@...>


*****  3 ***** 3 ***** 3 ***** 3 *****

The Guardian [UK]
Wednesday January 19, 2000

UK minister defends arms sales to Indonesia

John Aglionby in Jakarta

The foreign office minister John Battle yesterday defended the resumption of
British arms sales to Indonesia in spite of the rapidly escalating social
unrest, a divided military and warnings from other countries.

He urged the world to dispel its long-held view of Indonesia as an unstable,
military-controlled state and to welcome the emerging democracy into the
international fold.

Mr Battle said after two days of talks with Indonesia's President Abdurrahman
Wahid and government officials in Jakarta that it was time to get rid of
outdated and antiquated views on Indonesia.

"It is not commonly understood internationally that there is a new president
elected, that there are new ministers, that there's a programme of reform,
and my view is that the government needs to be underpinned in that programme
of reform," he said.

In such circumstances, and in the light of Indonesia's withdrawal from East
Timor, he said, there was no reason to reimpose the European Union arms
embargo against Jakarta.

"The situation in East Timor has changed massively," he said, referring to
circumstances four months ago, when the embargo was imposed. "The TNI
[Indonesian military] are not in East Timor, thankfully, and the situation is
different. What we're talking about now is a new government that has to cope
with the legacy of what went on there."

However, he stressed that there would be "no free flow through of arms and no
questions asked tomorrow", because both the EU and Britain had strict codes
of conduct regarding arms exports to Indonesia.

"The international community is not going to go away," he said. "It's going
to watch the situation and see how the government handles it. It's going to
be a case by case basis."

Britain is one of the biggest arms suppliers to Indonesia. In 1998 Britain
exported arms worth £73m to Indonesia. In order not to lose future busi ness,
British diplomats and arms dealers have regularly courted Indonesian dealers
and generals during the embargo period when all links were supposed to have
been broken.

The Dutch foreign minister, Jozias van Aartsen, who is also in Jakarta, said
that when he reports on Indonesia to the EU council of foreign ministers next
Monday, "without any doubt there will be a very positive outlook".

Neither referred to the current state of the military which, after decades as
the country's most powerful political force, is now deeply divided over its
future role. There is speculation that some generals, particularly those
threatened with prosecution over their involvement in East Timor, are
plotting a coup.

It is widely accepted that barely half of the armed forces support President
Abdurrahman and his reform programme.

Mr Battle met only one general in Jakarta, the mines and energy minister,
Bambang Yudoyhono, who no longer has hands-on control of any troops. Mr Van
Aartsen sidestepped questions about whether he trusted the military to
respect the civilian government's reform programme.

However, with more than a quarter of the country affected by social unrest
that the military appears unable to control, Washington is still worried
about the situation and refuses to lift its arms embargo until the generals
are brought completely to heel. Many other western diplomatic missions in
Jakarta share their concern.

One diplomat said it was "pretty irresponsible" of Mr Battle and Mr Van
Aartsen to make judgments without consulting the military high command or
considering many other factors.

"The place is in a mess and what is more frightening is that we don't know
how bad a mess it is," he said. "The military is even more splintered than it
was a year ago, access to this cabinet is worse than to the last cabinet and
ministers are running scared and keeping their heads down because they don't
know what the president is going to say next."

_____________________________________

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
	        Peace Movement Aotearoa
     PO Box 9314, Wellington, Aotearoa / New Zealand
   tel +64 4 382 8129, fax +64 4 382 8173, pma@...
	   http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/
        the national networking group for peace people
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

#18 From: "Ernst Guelcher" <eguelcher@...>
Date: Thu Jan 20, 2000 10:01 am
Subject: Re: Resumed Arms sales to Indonesia - protest.
eguelcher@...
Send Email Send Email
 
Hello friends,

Thanks for your message. Although the European Parliament this afternoon
(Thursday 20/1) will adopt a resolution reiterating its demand to continue the
EU arms embargo on Indonesia, it is clear that the EU Council is not willing to
do so. Therefore please provide us with any details of whatever kind about
resumed arms deliveries to the region. Next week the Portuguese EU presidency
will speak in the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and that will
be another opportunity for confronting questioning.

>>> Ian Burn <ian-burn@...> 01/20/00 10:29 >>>
Ernst and Arnold

For Your Information this is what our local peace lobby has organised in
relation to this.

Ian

20 January 2000

ACTION ALERT !

RESUMED ARMS SALES TO INDONESIA - CREATING THE NEXT 'EAST TIMOR'

Kia ora,

further to our messages on Tuesday about the European Union decision to
lift their arms embargo on arms sales to Indonesia, you may have noticed a
truly startling silence in the NZ mass media and from the government on
that decision.

We have therefore this morning faxed Kim Hill (Radio NZ morning programme
presenter) following her interview of the NZ ambassador to Indonesia
(during which the increasing level of violence was discussed, but no
mention was made of the EU decision). If you are as concerned about the
decision as we are, then please make your views known  !

  This alert has three parts :

1) text based on our fax to Kim Hill, 20 January 2000;

2) details for contacting NZ government / national media;

3) the Guardian article (19 Janaury 2000) 'UK minister defends arms sales
to Indonesia' which provides more info on the situation.

If you require any more information, you can check out the East Timor
section in our website at
<http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/east.htm>

This section of our website will be updated later tonight.

Thanks to Marion Hancock (Peace Foundation) and Joe Buchanan (East Timor
Action) for assistance with this alert.

  *****  1 ***** 1 ***** 1 ***** 1 *****

This bit is based on the text of our fax to Kim Hill this morning :

We have just been listening with considerable interest to your interview
with the NZ Ambassador to Indonesia on the deteriorating situation in parts
of Indonesia, and enjoyed your questions very much.

However, we do feel an important and deeply troubling aspect of the
situation escaped attention. Your listeners would no doubt have been very
interested in your asking for his viewpoint on the decision of the European
Union to resume arms sales to Indonesia. The decision was made Tuesday
evening (our time), and there has not to our knowledge been any mention
made of it on Radio NZ or TVNZ.

There has not as yet been any statement about the EU decision from the NZ
government. Given Helen Clark's valid criticism yesterday of the Japanese
government for their whaling practices, we had anticipated an equally
strong response from her to the EU governments. Their decision will result
in an increase in the weapons available to an all-ready over armed military
which has a proven record of murdering civilians in large numbers -
somewhat akin to pouring petrol on a fire, one would've thought. As well,
it may increase the risk to the safety of NZ soldiers on duty in East Timor.

Only five months ago, those members of parliament then in opposition, now
in government, and the journalists reporting on Radio NZ and TVNZ were
expressing horror and dismay as the situation in East Timor deteriorated
into total chaos and carnage.

Yet this week those very same people remain silent as the foundations are
laid for the next 'East Timor' - in West Papua, Aceh, Lombok ...

Please don't let this silence continue.

*****  2 ***** 2 ***** 2 ***** 2 *****

Contact details :

a) Government - * Letters - all letters should be addressed to the relevant
person and posted (no stamp needed) to Parliament Buildings, Wellington.

* Phone calls and faxes (all to be prefixed by 04 by those of you out of
Wellington) -

~ Helen Clark, Prime Minister, office - tel 471 9998, fax 473 3579;
~ Jim Anderton, Deputy Prime Minister, office - tel 471 9011, fax 495 8441;
~ Phil Goff, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, office - tel 471 9370,
fax 495 8444;
~ Mark Burton, Minister of Defence, office - tel 471 9715, fax 495 8465
(Mark Burton will be visiting East Timor at the beginning of February);
~ The Cabinet (collectively), office - tel 471 9743, fax 472 6332.

* ideally you should send a copy of your correspondence to Matt Robson,
Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, fax 495 8462; to the Green
Party Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Keith Locke, Green's office, fax
472 6003; and a copy of your correspondence and of any replies to PMA for
our files.

b) You could also write to the national / nationally distributed media
:Christchurch Press, fax (03) 364 8492, <editorial@...>; Dominion,
fax (04) 4740257; Evening Post, fax; (04) 474 0237, <editor@...>;
New Zealand Herald, fax (09) 373 6434, <letters@...>; Sunday Star
Times, fax (09) 309 0258; Press Association, fax (04) 473 7480; Radio New
Zealand, fax (04) 473 0185; Listener, fax (09) 360 3831,
<editor@...>


*****  3 ***** 3 ***** 3 ***** 3 *****

The Guardian [UK]
Wednesday January 19, 2000

UK minister defends arms sales to Indonesia

John Aglionby in Jakarta

The foreign office minister John Battle yesterday defended the resumption of
British arms sales to Indonesia in spite of the rapidly escalating social
unrest, a divided military and warnings from other countries.

He urged the world to dispel its long-held view of Indonesia as an unstable,
military-controlled state and to welcome the emerging democracy into the
international fold.

Mr Battle said after two days of talks with Indonesia's President Abdurrahman
Wahid and government officials in Jakarta that it was time to get rid of
outdated and antiquated views on Indonesia.

"It is not commonly understood internationally that there is a new president
elected, that there are new ministers, that there's a programme of reform,
and my view is that the government needs to be underpinned in that programme
of reform," he said.

In such circumstances, and in the light of Indonesia's withdrawal from East
Timor, he said, there was no reason to reimpose the European Union arms
embargo against Jakarta.

"The situation in East Timor has changed massively," he said, referring to
circumstances four months ago, when the embargo was imposed. "The TNI
[Indonesian military] are not in East Timor, thankfully, and the situation is
different. What we're talking about now is a new government that has to cope
with the legacy of what went on there."

However, he stressed that there would be "no free flow through of arms and no
questions asked tomorrow", because both the EU and Britain had strict codes
of conduct regarding arms exports to Indonesia.

"The international community is not going to go away," he said. "It's going
to watch the situation and see how the government handles it. It's going to
be a case by case basis."

Britain is one of the biggest arms suppliers to Indonesia. In 1998 Britain
exported arms worth £73m to Indonesia. In order not to lose future busi ness,
British diplomats and arms dealers have regularly courted Indonesian dealers
and generals during the embargo period when all links were supposed to have
been broken.

The Dutch foreign minister, Jozias van Aartsen, who is also in Jakarta, said
that when he reports on Indonesia to the EU council of foreign ministers next
Monday, "without any doubt there will be a very positive outlook".

Neither referred to the current state of the military which, after decades as
the country's most powerful political force, is now deeply divided over its
future role. There is speculation that some generals, particularly those
threatened with prosecution over their involvement in East Timor, are
plotting a coup.

It is widely accepted that barely half of the armed forces support President
Abdurrahman and his reform programme.

Mr Battle met only one general in Jakarta, the mines and energy minister,
Bambang Yudoyhono, who no longer has hands-on control of any troops. Mr Van
Aartsen sidestepped questions about whether he trusted the military to
respect the civilian government's reform programme.

However, with more than a quarter of the country affected by social unrest
that the military appears unable to control, Washington is still worried
about the situation and refuses to lift its arms embargo until the generals
are brought completely to heel. Many other western diplomatic missions in
Jakarta share their concern.

One diplomat said it was "pretty irresponsible" of Mr Battle and Mr Van
Aartsen to make judgments without consulting the military high command or
considering many other factors.

"The place is in a mess and what is more frightening is that we don't know
how bad a mess it is," he said. "The military is even more splintered than it
was a year ago, access to this cabinet is worse than to the last cabinet and
ministers are running scared and keeping their heads down because they don't
know what the president is going to say next."

_____________________________________

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
	        Peace Movement Aotearoa
     PO Box 9314, Wellington, Aotearoa / New Zealand
   tel +64 4 382 8129, fax +64 4 382 8173, pma@...
	   http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/
        the national networking group for peace people
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

#17 From: amokmar@...
Date: Wed Jan 19, 2000 4:03 pm
Subject: (Fwd) 'Indonesian army will use EU arms in creeping coup'
amokmar@...
Send Email Send Email
 
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date sent:       Wed, 19 Jan 2000 10:09:57 +0100
From:            "Watch Indonesia!" <watchin@...>
Send reply to:   nakal@...
Organization:    Watch Indonesia!
To:              nakal@...
Subject:         'Indonesian army will use EU arms in creeping coup'

auch:
EU Declaration on Indonesia and arms embargo
taz:Indonesien darf zum Bedauern Berlins wieder Waffen aus Europa
bekommen

From: TAPOL <tapol@...>
Subject: 'Indonesian army will use EU arms in creeping coup'

Received from Joyo Indonesian News

The Independent [UK]
18 January 2000

'Indonesian army will use EU arms in creeping coup'

Jakarta opposition say troops will use tanks from Europe to provoke
violence, leading to full-scale military takeover

By Richard Lloyd Parry in Jakarta

The European Union is endangering Indonesia's fragile democracy by
resuming the export of weapons at a time of intense unrest and growing
fears of a military coup, an Indonesian cabinet minister told The
Independent in an interview yesterday.

Although peace has returned to East Timor, violent conflicts are
erupting all over Indonesia, many of them apparently provoked by the
Indonesian military in an attempt to undermine President Abdurrahman
Wahid's democratically elected government.

Yesterday, the EU lifted its ban on arms sales to Indonesia four months
after it was imposed during the chaotic violence which followed the
referendum on independence in East Timor.

A member of President Wahid's cabinet, Indonesia's first democratically
elected government in 40 years, said that it was "two-faced" of European
countries to speak of promoting reform in Indonesia, while
simultaneously selling arms to the country's divided and mutinous
military. "It points to the ambiguity of Western countries who want to
pave the way to democratic development but also want to make money from
selling arms," said Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, Indonesia's maritime
minister.

"You always have this inconsistency. It's like giving cigarettes to a
teenager, when you know they do harm, and excusing it because it will
make him feel good."

In the last few days, there have been church burnings on the holiday
island of Lombok and riots in the city of Medan, as well as ongoing
conflicts in the Spice Islands and the rebellious province of Aceh.

"We all have a sense that elements of the army are trying to effect a
creeping coup d'itat," Mr Sarwono said. "They are subverting the work of
the government by perpetuating a controlled and limited state of
unrest."

Last weekend the United States gave a blunt warning to the Indonesian
generals to abandon their plans to overthrow the government. "A huge
struggle is continuing on all fronts between the forces of progress, the
future-oriented democratic forces of President Wahid and the Indonesian
military... who are thwarting the process," the US Ambassador to the
United Nations, Richard Holbrooke, said.

If the feared coup does take place, it will happen stealthily, against
the background of an exhausted president, broken by months of unrest, a
public worn out by promises that are never kept, and a general who
mysteriously restores order within a matter of weeks. But the result
will probably be the same - a crackdown on political opponents and
newspapers, the delay of elections, and officers promoted to civilian
posts.

On the face of it, the argument by the big, arms-exporting European
nations, led by France and Britain, sounds reasonable enough. Since the
arms ban was imposed, they argue, Indonesia has changed.

Back then, in September, Jakarta was close to becoming an international
pariah. The Indonesian army and its militias embarked on a campaign of
violence in an attempt to frustrate East Timor's vote for independence.
In Jakarta, President Habibie was incapable of stopping them. In an
effort to force Indonesia into agreeing to an international peace
keeping force, the EU, along with the US, cut off its arms exports.

The pressure worked. The military pulled out of East Timor, the peace
keepers went in and peace was restored. A month later Mr Wahid, a
moderate Muslim cleric, defeated Mr Habibie in the country's first truly
democratic presidential election.

"We want to develop relations with President Wahid's government that
address  human rights and promote trade and commerce," said the Foreign
Office  minister John Battle, who is visiting Jakarta.

Hence the reopening of the arms trade.

But Indonesia is far from being a democratic paradise. During 32 years
of dictatorship under the former President Suharto, the army became the
country's most powerful institution, a position it still holds despite
the democratic reforms of the past two years.
***********************************

From: Tapol <plovers@...>
Subject: EU Declaration on Indonesia and arms embargo

Press Release:  Brussels (17-01-2000) - Press: 3 - Nr: 5039/1/00 REV 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------Brussels\
,
17 January 2000

5039/1/00 REV 1 (Presse 3)

P 3/00



Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union
on the situation in Indonesia


The EU has noted the historic changes of the last few months in
Indonesia.
It supports the efforts of the new democratically-elected Indonesian
Government and welcomes the steps taken by President Wahid to strengthen
the country's democracy, to reform the military and judicial systems, to
restore the vitality of its economy and to solve its internal conflicts
through dialogue rather than force.

The EU therefore believes that the restrictive measures taken against
the previous Indonesian Government in September 1999, and which expired
today, need not be renewed but notes that the EU policy regarding arms
exports will be governed by strict implementation of the EU Code of
Conduct. In this context the EU will continue to follow closely events
in Indonesia.

The European Union is deeply concerned at the appalling violence in the
Moluccas, the tensions in Irian Jaya and the persisting conflict in
Aceh. The EU underlines the need to ensure accountability for past human
rights abuses, particularly in East Timor, and the need to meet
international concern about the fate of the tens of thousands of
refugees who remain in West Timor.

On the eve of President Wahid's visit to Europe, the European Union
reaffirms its support for a strong, united and democratic Indonesia and
offers its help to the new Indonesian government in overcoming these
challenges in order to strengthen the ties which bind together the
European Union and a democratic Indonesia.

The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European
Union, the associated countries Cyprus and Malta and the EFTA countries,
Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align
themselves with this declaration.

**********************************
http://www.taz.de/tpl/2000/01/18/a0034.fr/text?Namek05680aaa

> Waffenembargo beendet
>
> [Image] Indonesien darf zum Bedauern Berlins wieder Waffen aus Europa
> bekommen
>
> Br|ssel/Berlin (taz) - Die EU-Staaten haben sich nicht auf eine
> Verldngerung des Waffenembargos gegen|ber Indonesien einigen kvnnen.
> Das im September auf dem Hvhepunkt der Gewalt in Osttimor verhdngte
> Embargo lief gestern aus und hdtte einstimmig verldngert werden
> m|ssen. Die politischen Direktoren der EU-Staaten sprachen sich am
> Freitag jedoch sogar mehrheitlich f|r ein Ende des Embargos aus, was
> erst gestern bekannt wurde. Die Bestdtigung dieser Entscheidung auf
> der Sitzung des Rates am 24. Januar gilt als Formsache. Angesichts des
> "historischen Wandels" in dem asiatischen Inselstaat sei eine
> Verldngerung nicht nvtig, erkldrte gestern ein Sprecher der
> portugiesischen Prdsidentschaft in Br|ssel.
>
> Die Voraussetzungen, unter denen das Embargo verhdngt wurde, seien
> nicht mehr gegeben, betonte ein Sprecher von EU-Au_enkommissar Chris
> Patten. Mit der Wahl eines neuen indonesischen Prdsidenten und der
> Schaffung einer demokratischen Regierung seien die Gr|nde f|r das
> Embargo entfallen. Zudem sei Osttimors Wunsch nach Unabhdngigkeit
> erf|llt.
>
> Ein Sprecher des Auswdrtigen Amtes in Berlin bedauerte gegen|ber der
> taz die Entscheidung der EU-Staaten, hielt aber baldige
> Waffenlieferungen aus Europa in grv_erem Umfang f|r unwahrscheinlich.
> Eine Fortsetzung des Embargos wdre vor allem ein politisches Signal
> gewesen. Das Bundeskabinett will morgen neue
> R|stungsexport-Richtlinien beraten. Au_er Deutschland hatten nur die
> Niederlande und Schweden f|r ein weiteres Embargo gestimmt.
>
> Am Wochenende hatte der US-Botschafter bei den Vereinten Nationen,
> Richard Holbrooke, Indonesiens Militdr vor einem Putsch gewarnt. Auch
> Indonesiens Prdsident Wahid warnte gestern das Militdr vor einem
> solchen Schritt. In letzter Zeit hatte es wiederholt Putschdrohungen
> gegeben. Der Beschluss der EU-Staaten d|rfte die Warnungen von
> Holbrooke und Wahid konterkarieren.
>
> Bereits am Freitag hatte Heidi Hautala, Sprecherin der Gr|nen im
> EU-Parlament, vor einem Ende des Embargos gewarnt. "Auch unter der
> neuen Regierung von Prdsident Wahid bleibt die Armee die f|hrende
> Kraft des Landes, die eine Untersuchung ihrer Rolle im blutigen
> Osttimor-Konflikt verhindert", sagte Hautala. Schon am 16. Dezember
> hatte das EU-Parlament f|r eine Fortsetzung des Embargos gestimmt.
> "Die Verldngerung des Embargos w|rde die demokratischen Krdfte in
> Indonesien unterst|tzen", sagte die irische Gr|nen-Abgeordnete
> Patricia McKenna.
>
>                                                   Daniela Weingdrtner/
>
>                                                            Sven Hansen
>
> taz Nr. 6044 vom 18.1.2000 Seite 10 Ausland 81 Zeilen
> TAZ-Bericht Daniela Weingdrtner/ Sven Hansen



**********************************************************************
Watch Indonesia!                       Tel./Fax +49-30-698 179 38
Planufer 92 d                      e-mail: nakal@...
10967 Berlin                      http://www.snafu.de/~watchin
**********************************************************************


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#16 From: "Ernst Guelcher" <eguelcher@...>
Date: Wed Jan 19, 2000 3:07 pm
Subject: European Parliament reiterates demand for arms embargo on Indonesia
eguelcher@...
Send Email Send Email
 
Following resolution will be adopted by the European Parliament on
Thursday-afternoon:

Draft motion for a joint resolution

pursuant to rule 50

tabled by                                            in the name of the EPP-ED
Group

                                                            in the name of the
PES Group

                                                            in the name of the
ELDR Group

                                                           
........................

                                                           
........................



to replace motions .....................................................

on the Moluccan Islands in Indonesia


The European Parliament,

- recalling its previous resolutions on Indonesia

- recalling its resolution on the Moluccan Islands of 7 October 1999

- recalling the EU Presidency's Statements on behalf of the EU on Indonesia in
July and September 1999

- recalling the Council Regulation n° 2158/1999 of 11 October 1999 concerning a
ban on the supply to Indonesia of equipment which might be used for internal
repression

A whereas its resolution of October 1999 referred to the worsening situation on
the Moluccas where between November 1998 and September 1999 several hundred
people died and tens of thousands of people had fled their homes

B whereas the new Indonesian Government seems to sincerely wish to promote
democracy and respect for human rights in the whole of the country and has
already taken concrete steps thereto

C whereas, regretfully, despite this, the situation on the Moluccas did
deteriorate further, with several thousand lives lost around the turn of the
century, many thousands of people injured and once again tens of thousands of
people fleeing to neighbouring islands and seeking refuge in refugee camps

D whereas this conflict has economic, ethnic and religious components which
arise from the long term effects of the transmigration policy of the former
Suharto regime as well as from general economic neglect of the region, both
adding to the conflicts between the original christian population group and a
growing muslim population group, including many immigrants

1 Condamne les massacres dont a été victime la population civile des Moluques
ainsi que les incitations à la haine religieuse comme par le Président de
l'Assemblée législative

2 Critises that the EU until now has been too reticent with regard to political
pressure and humanitarian aid, despite the call for such pressure and aid by the
Parliament in October

3 Requests action by the international community to provide support for the
Indonesian Government insofar it tries to diminish the violence and to restore
human rights on the Moluccas

4 Notes the commitments made by the Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid and
his overnment to ensure the full protection of the people of the Moluccas and
insists on the urgent necessity for the Indonesian army to strictly comply with
the government policies and not to play any destabilizing role in the region

5 Calls on the Indonesian Government to detain and punish agressive provocateurs
and militias and to promote peacefull dialogue between the Muslim and Christian
populations on the Moluccas

6 Asks the Indonesian media and Government to make absolutely clear that both
the Christians and Muslims have suffered terrible losses and not to quote
sources from only one side of the conflict in order to avoid fuelling one side's
anger against the other

7 Points out the dubious role played by the Indonesian army which all too often
seems to side with agressive moslemic groups and does not succeed in dealing
effectively with provocative action and therefore re-iterates its insistance
towards the Council that the export of arms and other prohibited equipment and
military cooperation must not resume

8 Therefore strongly regrets that the Council did not decide to extend the
duration of Common Position 1999/624/CFSP and Council Regulation (EC) 2158/1999
beyond its expiry date of 17 January 2000, urges the Council to come back on its
position and insists that in the meantime no Member state should resume such
arms exports and/or military cooperation

9 Calls on the Commission  and the Council:

* to send a delegation to Indonesia to discuss the situation with the Indonesian
Government and to assist in finding solutions to the conflict, including the
preparation with the UN and the Indonesian Government of a programme aimed at
rebuilding a civil society which respects  the ethnic and religious balance of
the Moluccas in Indonesia

* to urge once again the Indonesian Government to allow the presence of
international observers on the Molucccas in order to guarantee independent
reporting on the situation

* to strongly increase EU humanitarian aid to the Moluccas and to make sure that
it reaches all sections of the populations that need such aid

8 Demands that UNHCR and other humanitarian NGO's be given free access to those
who fled their homes and calls upon the Indonesian Government to ensure their
full protection in accordance with "Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement"
prepared by the office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the UN

9 Intends to send its own parliamentary delegation to Indonesia

10 Asks its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council,
the Member states and the Applicant states and the Indonesian Government

AH18I00/3.10rev1

#15 From: amokmar@...
Date: Wed Jan 19, 2000 10:21 am
Subject: Re: Declaration by the Portuguese Presidency - Indonesia
amokmar@...
Send Email Send Email
 
The soft way to resume arms deliveries to Indonesia. For ENAAT List-server.

Ernst Guelcher
"Ernst Guelcher" <eguelcher@...>

> "Declaration by the Presidency - Indonesia"
>
> Sumary:
> Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the situation
in Indonesia
>
> Content:
> Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the situation
in Indonesia
>
>
> The EU has noted the historic changes of the last few months in Indonesia.  It
supports the efforts of the new democratically-elected Indonesian Government and
welcomes the steps taken by President Wahid to strengthen the country's
democracy, to reform the military and judicial systems, to
restore the vitality of its economy and to solve its internal conflicts through
dialogue rather than force.
>
> The EU therefore believes that the restrictive measures taken against the
previous Indonesian Government in September 1999, and which expired today, need
not be renewed but notes that the EU policy regarding arms exports will be
governed by strict implementation of the EU Code of Conduct.  In
this context the EU will continue to follow closely events in Indonesia.
>
> The European Union is deeply concerned at the appalling violence in the
Moluccas, the tensions in Irian Jaya and the persisting conflict in Aceh.  The
EU underlines the need to ensure accountability for past human rights abuses,
particularly in East Timor, and the need to meet international
concern about the fate of the tens of thousands of refugees who remain in West
Timor.
>
> On the eve of President Wahid's visit to Europe, the European Union reaffirms
its support for a strong, united and democratic Indonesia and offers its help to
the new Indonesian government in overcoming these challeng
es in order to strengthen the ties which bind together the European Union and a
democratic Indonesia.

> > The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European
Union, the associated countries Cyprus and Malta and the EFTA countries, members
of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declar
ation.

>
>
> January 17, 2000
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


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#14 From: amokmar@xxxxxxx.xx
Date: Mon Jan 17, 2000 9:36 am
Subject: Re: answers Dutch Foreign Minister
amokmar@xxxxxxx.xx
Send Email Send Email
 
To:              ENAAT@onelist.com
Date sent:       Fri, 14 Jan 2000 16:05:38 +0100
From:            Jens Petersson <jens.petersson@...>
Send reply to:   ENAAT@onelist.com
Subject:         Re: [ENAAT] answers Dutch Foreign Minister

From: Martin Broek

I believe Jens is right in his analyses of what will happen. Although
it is not exactly the Dutch position, but the Dutch fall back position
he describes, at first they are against all arms deliveries.

We should include the demands of the old embargo in our
demands aswell as on EU AND national level is what I propose and
will be my line next week.

Martin

an embargo on Jan 24 which will be much weaker and not at all so
> comprehensive?
> It4s pretty clear that the Dutch gov at best will propose an embargo that
> only covers "means of repression" which means that Hawk-planes, dutch
> electronics and spareparts to Swedish naval-guns are OK to deliver.

> Shouldn4t we focus on demanding that the new embargo should include the
> same type of deliveries as the old embargo?

> Jens, Svenska Freds
>
> At 13:00 2000-01-14 +0100, you wrote:
> >From: Boekhandel Rosa en/of  AMOK-Noord <rosaboek@...>
> >
> >Yesterday the Dutch Foreign Minister replied to questions asked by a
> >Socialist Party MP. Below excerpts of the answers (they refer clearly
> >enough to the question, so that I can leave some questions out, for matters
> >of time as well). Careful: translation is mine.
> >
> >greetings Frank Slijper
> >
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#13 From: Jens Petersson <jens.petersson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Date: Fri Jan 14, 2000 3:05 pm
Subject: Re: answers Dutch Foreign Minister
jens.petersson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Send Email Send Email
 
Isn´t it pretty obvious that what we are heading for now is a new decision
on an embargo on Jan 24 which will be much weaker and not at all so
comprehensive?

It´s pretty clear that the Dutch gov at best will propose an embargo that
only covers "means of repression" which means that Hawk-planes, dutch
electronics and spareparts to Swedish naval-guns are OK to deliver.

Shouldn´t we focus on demanding that the new embargo should include the
same type of deliveries as the old embargo?

Jens, Svenska Freds

At 13:00 2000-01-14 +0100, you wrote:
>From: Boekhandel Rosa en/of  AMOK-Noord <rosaboek@...>
>
>Yesterday the Dutch Foreign Minister replied to questions asked by a
>Socialist Party MP. Below excerpts of the answers (they refer clearly
>enough to the question, so that I can leave some questions out, for matters
>of time as well). Careful: translation is mine.
>
>greetings Frank Slijper
>
>========================
>
>1. Q: Has the Developmentcooperation Minister in an interview with IKON
>radio called for an extension  of the arms embargo against Indonesia? Did
>she mean an EU or Dutch embargo?
>   A: Yes, this is in line with the position of the Foreign Minister. The
>Netherlands wishes a European embargo, as this has more effect.
>
>2 & 3. Q: (...)
> A: The Netherlands supports within the EU a proposal of the Chair for a
>new embargo on the delivery of military goods and means of repression to
>Indonesia. This proposal could be accepted before 17 January by means of a
>written procedure, if the member states agree about this.
>If the proposal will not be accepted, the Netherlands will plead during the
>General Council of 23/24 January for a new embargo which, adjusted to the
>current situation, will be directed against the export of means of
repression.
>
>The Netherlands has the opinion that cooperation with the Indonesian armed
>forces can make an important contribution to the process of reforms. Such
>cooperation should, contrary to what is the case with the current embargo,
>be exempted from a possibly installed new embargo. The Netherlands is
>holding intensive talks with EU-partners about this.
>
>4: Q: Does the Foreign Minister remember his statement that the Netherlands
>can decide, independently from a EU-decision, to extend the arms embargo
>against Indonesia on 17 January? Are you willing to prolong the embargo
>unilaterally? If not, why not?
>
>   A: The Netherlands can not decide to prolong unilaterally a finished
>EU-embargo. It can however, based on its national arms export policy, be
>extremely reserved, judging exports of military goods to the destination to
>which the emargo was related. Considering the new situation in Indonesia,
>the Netherlands will definitely keep this utter restraint if a new EU
>embargo is not forthcoming.
>
>(...)
>
>
>
>******************************************************************
>
>  AMOK-Noord and/or Bookshop Rosa.
>Postaddress: P.O.BOX 7007, 9701 JA  GRONINGEN, The Netherlands.
>Visits:   Folkingedwarsstraat 16 A. Tel / fax: ++ (0)50 - 3133247.
>E-mail:   rosaboek@...
>Website:  www.xs4all.nl/~rosaboek    or     www.xs4all.nl/~sjakoo
>AMOK-Noord:  Anti Militaristisch Onderzoeks Kollektief =
>  Anti Militarist Research Collective
>Bookshop Rosa.  Specialized in Anarchism, Anti-Fascism,
>  Anti-Imperialism, Feminism, Environment& Socialism
>
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---------------------------------------
Jens Petersson
generalsekreterare
Svenska Freds- och Skiljedomsföreningen
Box 4134
102 63  STOCKHOLM
08-702 18 30 (växel)
08-702 26 50 (direkt)
0709-540 510 (mobil)
fax: 08-702 18 46
e-post: jens.petersson@...
"Internet": www.svenska-freds.se
---------------------------------------

#12 From: Boekhandel Rosa en/of AMOK-Noord <rosaboek@xxxxxx.xxx
Date: Fri Jan 14, 2000 12:00 pm
Subject: answers Dutch Foreign Minister
rosaboek@xxxxxx.xxx
Send Email Send Email
 
Yesterday the Dutch Foreign Minister replied to questions asked by a
Socialist Party MP. Below excerpts of the answers (they refer clearly
enough to the question, so that I can leave some questions out, for matters
of time as well). Careful: translation is mine.

greetings Frank Slijper

========================

1. Q: Has the Developmentcooperation Minister in an interview with IKON
radio called for an extension  of the arms embargo against Indonesia? Did
she mean an EU or Dutch embargo?
    A: Yes, this is in line with the position of the Foreign Minister. The
Netherlands wishes a European embargo, as this has more effect.

2 & 3. Q: (...)
	 A: The Netherlands supports within the EU a proposal of the Chair for a
new embargo on the delivery of military goods and means of repression to
Indonesia. This proposal could be accepted before 17 January by means of a
written procedure, if the member states agree about this.
If the proposal will not be accepted, the Netherlands will plead during the
General Council of 23/24 January for a new embargo which, adjusted to the
current situation, will be directed against the export of means of repression.

The Netherlands has the opinion that cooperation with the Indonesian armed
forces can make an important contribution to the process of reforms. Such
cooperation should, contrary to what is the case with the current embargo,
be exempted from a possibly installed new embargo. The Netherlands is
holding intensive talks with EU-partners about this.

4: Q: Does the Foreign Minister remember his statement that the Netherlands
can decide, independently from a EU-decision, to extend the arms embargo
against Indonesia on 17 January? Are you willing to prolong the embargo
unilaterally? If not, why not?

    A: The Netherlands can not decide to prolong unilaterally a finished
EU-embargo. It can however, based on its national arms export policy, be
extremely reserved, judging exports of military goods to the destination to
which the emargo was related. Considering the new situation in Indonesia,
the Netherlands will definitely keep this utter restraint if a new EU
embargo is not forthcoming.

(...)



******************************************************************

		 AMOK-Noord and/or Bookshop Rosa.
Postaddress: P.O.BOX 7007, 9701 JA  GRONINGEN, The Netherlands.
Visits:   Folkingedwarsstraat 16 A. Tel / fax: ++ (0)50 - 3133247.
E-mail:   rosaboek@...
Website:  www.xs4all.nl/~rosaboek    or     www.xs4all.nl/~sjakoo
AMOK-Noord:  Anti Militaristisch Onderzoeks Kollektief =
		 Anti Militarist Research Collective
Bookshop Rosa.  Specialized in Anarchism, Anti-Fascism,
		 Anti-Imperialism, Feminism, Environment& Socialism

#11 From: Boekhandel Rosa en/of AMOK-Noord <rosaboek@xxxxxx.xxx
Date: Fri Jan 14, 2000 10:53 am
Subject: Today's Guardian on EU-Indonesia embargo
rosaboek@xxxxxx.xxx
Send Email Send Email
 
Found this on the internet this morning. Funny name Mr. Battle.
By the way, Dutch Foreign Minister answered MP questions on the embargo
this morning. Martin or I will translate them as soon as possible.

greetings Frank Slijper

======================================

From: The Guardian, 14 January 2000

Indonesia arms ban to be lifted

Human rights campaigners angry at decision say militia groups are still
terrorising refugees
Indonesia and East Timor: special report

Richard Norton-Taylor
Friday January 14, 2000

Britain and its EU partners are to resume arms sales to Indonesia, the
government announced yesterday, in a move which enraged human rights groups
and anti-arms trade campaigners.
John Battle, the foreign office minister, made it clear that the EU arms
embargo, imposed four months ago in response to the atrocities in East
Timor, will be allowed to lapse on January 17.
"It would require absolute unanimity of every single country in the EU to
actually extend it further," he said. "East Timor has been positively
sorted and there is not, I don't think, the will to extend the embargo." Mr
Battle, who is to visit Indonesia and east Timor next week, said there had
been a new election and there was now a civilian defence minister, a
minister for human rights and their claim to East Timor had been
relinquished.
"If you look back a year ago the situation has been transformed
politically," he said. "What we believe is that we need now to be
underpinning rather than undermining Indonesia at this important time,
helping build Indonesia's young democracy."

However, his remarks with the clear implication that Britain would resume
its lucrative arms trade with Indonesia, was sharply attacked by human
rights groups who pointed out that Indonesian forces had failed to disarm
militia groups which were still terrorising up to 170,000 East Timorese
refugees trapped in West Timor. They also pointed out that British-made
Saladin armoured cars were being used in attacks in Ambon, provincial
capital of the Maluku islands, where inter-communal violence between
Christians and Muslims have led to over 1,000 deaths over the past year.

Tapol, the Indonesian human rights campaign, said yesterday that on Boxing
Day after a Christian church was brunt down, people were reported to be
dancing on top of the British armoured cars. "It is a very bad
development," Carmen Budiardjo, Tapol's director, said last night reacting
to Mr Battle's comments.
Indonesian forces were stull refusing to colloborate with UN investigations
into atrocities in East Timor. Dave Holland, of Saferworld, an independent
research group, described Mr Battle's remarks as "inappropriate". It was
premature to lift the embargo, he said.

A secret assessment by Australian defence intelligence was reported last
month as stating that extending the embargo would help to prevent the
Indonesian army oversee internal repression.

Lifting the embargo could open the way to the supply of seven remaining
British Aerospace Hawk aircarft to Indonesia. Of the 16 Hawks approved by
the previous Conservative administration for sale to Indonesia, nine were
supplied last year.
Britain supplied over £70m worth of arms to Indonesia in 1988, according to
the latest official figures. They included 38 armoured combat vehicles
despite government guidelines stating that arms would not be exported if
they were likely to be used in internal repression.
Foreign office sources said any applicants for weapon sales would still
have to go through strict licensing controls and Indonesia would still be
closely watched to see if there were any future human rights abuses. They
said Indonesia would be "on notice" but it was important not to undermine
the new government led by president Abdurrhaman Wahid.
Mr Battle plans to see the refugee situation at first hand and also hold
talks with groups helping to build the shattered region. "I am told that
there is not a brick standing upon a brick, the place was absolutely
flattened," he said yesterday.
In Indonesia, he said, there had been a new election and there was now a
civilian defence minister, a minister for human rights and their claim to
East Timor had been relinquished.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2000




******************************************************************

		 AMOK-Noord and/or Bookshop Rosa.
Postaddress: P.O.BOX 7007, 9701 JA  GRONINGEN, The Netherlands.
Visits:   Folkingedwarsstraat 16 A. Tel / fax: ++ (0)50 - 3133247.
E-mail:   rosaboek@...
Website:  www.xs4all.nl/~rosaboek    or     www.xs4all.nl/~sjakoo
AMOK-Noord:  Anti Militaristisch Onderzoeks Kollektief =
		 Anti Militarist Research Collective
Bookshop Rosa.  Specialized in Anarchism, Anti-Fascism,
		 Anti-Imperialism, Feminism, Environment& Socialism

#10 From: Jens Petersson <jens.petersson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Date: Thu Jan 13, 2000 11:17 am
Subject: Sweden pushes extended embargo towards Indonesia
jens.petersson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Send Email Send Email
 
In a letter to the Swedish parliament dated 2000-01-12 the Swedish minister
of Foreign Affairs stated (my translation):

"The development in Indonesia remains - as the last months events in not
atleast Aceh, Irian Jaya and the Molucces have shown - fragile. Each of
these conflicts has there certain roots, but they all carry a large
potential for violence. This gives us reason to continue with the kind of
actions that we started four months ago. I have therefore proposed to the
Portugese foreign minister as chair of the EU that we take a new decision
on an arms embargo."

Jens, Svenska Freds
---------------------------------------
Jens Petersson
generalsekreterare
Svenska Freds- och Skiljedomsföreningen
Box 4134
102 63  STOCKHOLM
08-702 18 30 (växel)
08-702 26 50 (direkt)
0709-540 510 (mobil)
fax: 08-702 18 46
e-post: jens.petersson@...
"Internet": www.svenska-freds.se
---------------------------------------

#9 From: Jens Petersson <jens.petersson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Date: Mon Jan 10, 2000 12:07 pm
Subject: Re: Update ENAAT campaign Extend the Arms Embargo to Indonesia
jens.petersson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Send Email Send Email
 
Greetings,

I just had a chat with a senior official at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. He wasn´t very talkative, but atleast hinted to me that a decision
on the embargo might come *before* Jan 24.

I´m not familiar with EU-business so I don´t understand when and how and in
what fora that would be then. I asked him wheather Sweden will put it on to
the agenda of the Jan 24 meeting and he answered that "the decision
should/must be taken before then, at Council level"

He also told me that preparations for a Swedish position was ongoing and
emphasized that the issue is *very* hot right now.

Furthermore, we should NOT take it for granted that Sweden will be in
favour of a prolongement of the embargo! "We are thorn, on one hand the
situation in Indonesia isn´t satisfying. On the other hand we are
optimistic about the new Indonesian government and must send the signal
that they... (have the same status as other governments.)" or something
similar the official said.

He also said that everything pointed at a "no" to keeping the embargo after
what he understood from the positions of other EU-countries.

Jens, SPAS

At 15:44 2000-01-07 +0100, you wrote:
>Update ENAAT campaign Extend the Arms Embargo to Indonesia
>January 7, 2000
>
>On  January 17th the European Union embargo on arms sales
>and military co-operation to Indonesia might come to an end.
>Decision hereabout should to be taken at the EU Council
>meeting of January 24 but it is not sure yet that the issue is put
>on the agenda. Please ask your Minister of Foreign Affairs bring
>forward the issue of extension of the arms embargo at the 24th
>meeting!
>
>Initiated by the European Network Against Arms Trade many
>peace and human rights groups all over Europe have
>campaigned to extend the arms embargo. An overview of our
>common activities:
>
>FINLAND
>
>The Finnish East Timor Committee distributed post carts to be
>send to
>the Finish Minister of Foreign Affairs and to the new Portuguese
>Chairmanship of the European Union to ask them to extend the
>embargo.
>
>GERMANY
>
>Watch Indonesia asked Foreign Minister Fischer on his position on
>the
>arms embargo. Fischer said he was in favor of extension but did
>not see
>the need to take the initiative because Germany has no current
>arms
>deals with Indonesia.
>
>BUKO Campaign Stop the Arms Export asked Green Members of
>the
>Parliament to remind Fischer of his position when decisions have
>to be
>taken at January 24th.
>
>ITALY
>
>In Italy members of the Green Party questioned the Minister of
>Foreign
>Affairs on its position on the embargo, using the text of the
>European
>Parliament Resolution. Due to the political crisis the lobby was
>somewhat
>delayed but now the situation is resolved and the issue will be
>taken up
>again after the winter holidays.
>
>NETHERLANDS
>
>Dutch Campaign Against Arms Trade initiated a press and lobby
>campaign on the embargo. During the annual parliamentary Arms
>Exports
>debate protesters at the public gallery wore T-shirt with the text:
>‘No
>arms to Indonesia’ while others were leafletting. The Minister of
>Development Aid expressed her support for an extension of the
>embargo.
>
>SWEDEN
>
>The Swedish East Timor Committee lobbied the Parliament for the
>extension of the arms embargo.
>
>The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society SPAS initiated a
>postcard
>action with a rose on it for German Foreign Minister Fischer
>because he
>promised to support extension of the embargo, and a card with a
>birch
>rod (a "whipping rod") to the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs who,
>together with his French colleague, is responsible for the short
>term of
>the embargo.
>
>UNITED KINGDOM
>
>Campaign Against Arms Trade started a letter writing campaign to
>Foreign Minister Cook pressing him to make sure the EU embargo
>remains after 17th January.
>
>TAPOL has lobbied both MP’s and MEP’s to support an extension
>of
>the embargo.
>
>INTERNATIONAL
>
>Jose Ramos Horta has sent a letter to all EU Ministers of Foreign
>Affairs
>with an appeal to extend the embargo
>
>The issue was brought forward in the Final Statement of the
>Citizens’
>Agenda 2000 preceding and addressing the EU Summit in
>Tampere,
>Finland where Common Foreign and Security Policy was central
>part of
>the Ministers meeting.
>
>The international NGO Symposium Against Impunity in Indonesia
>sent
>out an appeal to all Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European
>Union
>to call on them to express their support for all initiatives taken so
>far by
>the Wahid Government in support of Human Rights Protection,
>Democratic Society and ‘Reformasi’ and to  further support this
>democratic support by extending the embargo on arms sales and
>military
>training.
>
>The European Parliament adopted a resolution in support of
>extension of
>the embargo.
>
>
>See for more information and the text of several appeals and
>resolutions
>the ENAAT WEB site http://www.antenna.nl/enaat
>
>Campagne tegen Wapenhandel
>Pesthuislaan 39
>1054 RH Amsterdam
>tel/fax 00 31 (0)20 6164684
>email: amokmar@...
>http://www.antenna.nl/amokmar see also: http://www.antenna.nl/enaat
>
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---------------------------------------
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generalsekreterare
Svenska Freds- och Skiljedomsföreningen
Box 4134
102 63  STOCKHOLM
08-702 18 30 (växel)
08-702 26 50 (direkt)
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fax: 08-702 18 46
e-post: jens.petersson@...
"Internet": www.svenska-freds.se
---------------------------------------

#8 From: amokmar@xxxxxxx.xx
Date: Fri Jan 7, 2000 2:44 pm
Subject: Update ENAAT campaign Extend the Arms Embargo to Indonesia
amokmar@xxxxxxx.xx
Send Email Send Email
 
Update ENAAT campaign Extend the Arms Embargo to Indonesia
January 7, 2000

On  January 17th the European Union embargo on arms sales
and military co-operation to Indonesia might come to an end.
Decision hereabout should to be taken at the EU Council
meeting of January 24 but it is not sure yet that the issue is put
on the agenda. Please ask your Minister of Foreign Affairs bring
forward the issue of extension of the arms embargo at the 24th
meeting!

Initiated by the European Network Against Arms Trade many
peace and human rights groups all over Europe have
campaigned to extend the arms embargo. An overview of our
common activities:

FINLAND

The Finnish East Timor Committee distributed post carts to be
send to
the Finish Minister of Foreign Affairs and to the new Portuguese
Chairmanship of the European Union to ask them to extend the
embargo.

GERMANY

Watch Indonesia asked Foreign Minister Fischer on his position on
the
arms embargo. Fischer said he was in favor of extension but did
not see
the need to take the initiative because Germany has no current
arms
deals with Indonesia.

BUKO Campaign Stop the Arms Export asked Green Members of
the
Parliament to remind Fischer of his position when decisions have
to be
taken at January 24th.

ITALY

In Italy members of the Green Party questioned the Minister of
Foreign
Affairs on its position on the embargo, using the text of the
European
Parliament Resolution. Due to the political crisis the lobby was
somewhat
delayed but now the situation is resolved and the issue will be
taken up
again after the winter holidays.

NETHERLANDS

Dutch Campaign Against Arms Trade initiated a press and lobby
campaign on the embargo. During the annual parliamentary Arms
Exports
debate protesters at the public gallery wore T-shirt with the text:
‘No
arms to Indonesia’ while others were leafletting. The Minister of
Development Aid expressed her support for an extension of the
embargo.

SWEDEN

The Swedish East Timor Committee lobbied the Parliament for the
extension of the arms embargo.

The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society SPAS initiated a
postcard
action with a rose on it for German Foreign Minister Fischer
because he
promised to support extension of the embargo, and a card with a
birch
rod (a "whipping rod") to the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs who,
together with his French colleague, is responsible for the short
term of
the embargo.

UNITED KINGDOM

Campaign Against Arms Trade started a letter writing campaign to
Foreign Minister Cook pressing him to make sure the EU embargo
remains after 17th January.

TAPOL has lobbied both MP’s and MEP’s to support an extension
of
the embargo.

INTERNATIONAL

Jose Ramos Horta has sent a letter to all EU Ministers of Foreign
Affairs
with an appeal to extend the embargo

The issue was brought forward in the Final Statement of the
Citizens’
Agenda 2000 preceding and addressing the EU Summit in
Tampere,
Finland where Common Foreign and Security Policy was central
part of
the Ministers meeting.

The international NGO Symposium Against Impunity in Indonesia
sent
out an appeal to all Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European
Union
to call on them to express their support for all initiatives taken so
far by
the Wahid Government in support of Human Rights Protection,
Democratic Society and ‘Reformasi’ and to  further support this
democratic support by extending the embargo on arms sales and
military
training.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution in support of
extension of
the embargo.


See for more information and the text of several appeals and
resolutions
the ENAAT WEB site http://www.antenna.nl/enaat

Campagne tegen Wapenhandel
Pesthuislaan 39
1054 RH Amsterdam
tel/fax 00 31 (0)20 6164684
email: amokmar@...
http://www.antenna.nl/amokmar see also: http://www.antenna.nl/enaat

#7 From: amokmar@xxxxxxx.xx
Date: Fri Dec 24, 1999 11:59 am
Subject: Re: EP will adopt resolution on the prolongation of the EU arms embargo on Indonesia
amokmar@xxxxxxx.xx
Send Email Send Email
 
Herewith an short answer to the question raised by Jens Peterson on the
resolution in the European Parliament. I have not seen this answer
on this list:


The resolution was tabled by MEPs from the European Socialists,
the Liberals, the Conservaties, the Greens and the Nordic Greens
and United Left.

It was adopted unanimously.

> From: Jens Petersson <jens.petersson@...>
>
> Ernst, I4m too unfamiliar with how things work in the EU-Parliament. Could
> I take it for granted that this resolution WAS adopted and exactly in this
> shape? And could you add any more details, like for example wheather it
> was adopted unanimously. Such details makes it easier for ENAAT-groups to
> write pressreleases themselves.
>
> Jens, SPAS
Campagne tegen Wapenhandel
Pesthuislaan 39
1054 RH Amsterdam
tel/fax 00 31 (0)20 6164684
email: amokmar@...
http://www.antenna.nl/amokmar see also: http://www.antenna.nl/enaat

#6 From: Boekhandel Rosa en/of AMOK-Noord <rosaboek@xxxxxx.xxx
Date: Wed Dec 22, 1999 3:07 pm
Subject: White House Fact Sheet
rosaboek@xxxxxx.xxx
Send Email Send Email
 
Hi,

Understood that there was a EU-China summit in Beijing, does anyone (e.g.
Ernst) know if anything has been said on the embargo?

Frank, AMOK

----------------------------

This Week's Press Briefings and Releases
December 21, 1999

                               THE WHITE HOUSE

                        Office of the Press Secretary

   ______________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
December 21, 1999


                                 FACT SHEET

U.S. - EU Statement of Common Principles and Action Plan on Small Arms and
                                Light Weapons

                              December 17, 1999


Statement of Common Principles

The United States and the European Union agree that the problem of the
destabilizing accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons
demands the urgent attention of the international community.

They agree that a comprehensive approach is needed, addressing human
security, development, law enforcement, disarmament and arms control, and
legitimate national and collective defense requirements.

Both are committed to seeking urgent, concrete, and practical responses
through global, regional and national measures.  Their approaches include
stemming the flow of illicit trafficking, confronting those aspects of the
legal trade that contribute to the destabilizing accumulation and spread of
small arms and light weapons, and dealing with the root causes of conflict
that fuel the spread of small arms.

To better address these issues, the U.S. and the EU will expand their
cooperation, coordinate their activities, and reaffirm the common
principles governing their conduct.

The EU pledges cooperation with the U.S. Comprehensive Initiative on Small
Arms and Illicit Trafficking.  The U.S. pledges cooperation with the EU on
small arms, including support for the objectives and principles of the EU
Joint Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons adopted in December 1998,
consistent with U.S. policy and domestic legislation.

They agree that the UN conference on the illicit trade in small arms and
light weapons in all its aspects should undertake concrete and tangible
steps to combat the destabilizing accumulation and spread of small arms and
light weapons.

They agree on the goal of concluding the Protocol to Combat the Illicit
Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components,
and Ammunition by 2000, which will serve as a key element in international
efforts to combat illicit firearms trafficking.

Recognizing the special responsibilities that arms exporting states have,
the U.S. and the EU affirm their commitment to observe the highest
standards of restraint in the transfer of small arms and light weapons.
They reaffirm support for the OSCE Principles Governing Conventional Arms
Transfers.  With respect to policies on small arms and light weapons the
U.S. welcomes the EU's adoption of the EU Code of Conduct on arms exports
and the principles contained in its criteria, which the U.S. endorses.

The U.S. and the EU agree on the importance of effective national controls
for arms brokering.

The U.S. and the EU underline the importance of preventing the unauthorized
retransfer of small arms and light weapons.

They will explore appropriate and effective measures of transparency in the
transfers of small arms and light weapons.

The U.S. and the EU will work to improve their cooperation and coordination
with third countries, and to that end, they will focus urgent attention on
practical disarmament measures in potential conflict and post-conflict
situations where the problems are most severe, in particular in Africa.
They will also pursue measures to address the problem of the destabilizing
accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons in the Balkans.

The U.S. and the EU resolve to encourage and support states to ensure the
security of stockpiles of small arms and light weapons and to coordinate
respective activities designed to assist countries to collect and destroy
surplus weapons.  They will contribute to reducing and ending the excessive
and destabilizing accumulation and uncontrolled spread of small arms,
taking into account requirements for legitimate national and collective
defense, and participation in peacekeeping operations under the UN Charter
and internal security.

The U.S. and the EU welcome the interest of the NGO community in this
field, and encourage them to continue their important efforts, which
complement the work of governments.

In furtherance of the above-mentioned principles, the U.S. and the EU agree
to identify areas for coordinated action.


Action Plan

In support of the principles agreed by the United States and the European
Union and to advance their common objectives, the U.S. and the EU will take
the following steps:

Establish a working group on small arms and light weapons for regular
exchanges at the expert level.  The working group will promote increased
cooperation and information sharing and evaluate progress achieved by the
U.S. and the EU on small arms issues.  The group will meet at least once
during each EU Presidency.

Work together to address the problem of illicit trafficking in firearms,
including the completion by 2000 of the Protocol to Combat Illicit
Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components
and Ammunition now being negotiated in Vienna as part of the Convention
Against Transnational Organized Crime, complementing other efforts to
prevent the destabilizing accumulation and spread of small arms and light
weapons.

Coordinate efforts to provide assistance, in particular, where the problem
of the destabilizing accumulation and spread of small arms and light
weapons is most severe.

Promote support for the observance and the enforcement of the Economic
Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) moratorium on the import, export
and manufacturing of small arms in West Africa.

Promote the observance of UN sanctions governing arms transfers to areas of
conflict in Africa.  Work together in the UN and in other fora to
strengthen enforcement of arms embargoes established under the UN Security
Council, including working together to tighten controls on sources of
financing that help sustain arms flows and violent conflict in Africa.

Cooperate in considering measures to combat illicit arms brokering and
measures to prevent the unauthorized retransfer of small arms and light
weapons.

Promote the inclusion in UN peacekeeping mandates and other relevant
missions of effective measures to deal with the collection and destruction
of small arms and light weapons, and to coordinate assistance provided for
this purpose.

Cooperate with appropriate bodies of the UN for more effective coordination
of assistance in areas severely affected by small arms problems.

Work together in regional fora, such as the OSCE and EAPC, in efforts to
contribute to combating and preventing the destabilizing accumulation and
spread of small arms and light weapons, including stockpile management and
security.

Coordinate their planning for a successful outcome to the UN international
conference on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its
aspects with a view to achieving tangible results at the conference,
including an action plan for the international community to deal with the
small arms problem.


                                    # # #





******************************************************************

		 AMOK-Noord and/or Bookshop Rosa.
Postaddress: P.O.BOX 7007, 9701 JA  GRONINGEN, The Netherlands.
Visits:   Folkingedwarsstraat 16 A. Tel / fax: ++ (0)50 - 3133247.
E-mail:   rosaboek@...
Website:  www.xs4all.nl/~rosaboek    or     www.xs4all.nl/~sjakoo
AMOK-Noord:  Anti Militaristisch Onderzoeks Kollektief =
		 Anti Militarist Research Collective
Bookshop Rosa.  Specialized in Anarchism, Anti-Fascism,
		 Anti-Imperialism, Feminism, Environment& Socialism

#5 From: amokmar@xxxxxxx.xx
Date: Mon Dec 20, 1999 1:43 pm
Subject: (Fwd) FW: Warning on Jakarta arms trade
amokmar@xxxxxxx.xx
Send Email Send Email
 
dear subscribers to the ENAAT list,

The following article gives more background information on the EU
military embargo on Indonesia from an Austrlian intelligence
perspective. While the warning is on Indonesia floating towards
China and Russia for arms acquisitions, another warning is also
given: it is possible the EU countries will arm Indonesia "ahead of
expected internal conflicts in the Indonesian provinces of Aceh,
Ambon and Irian Jaya."

Martin Broek



The Age 15 December 1999
Warning on Jakarta arms trade
By PAUL DALEY
FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
CANBERRA
Continued European bans on arms sales will seriously hamper
Indonesia's
"internal repression" but could prompt Jakarta to forge new military
relationships with China and Russia, a top-secret Australian
intelligence
paper reveals. The secret assessment, obtained by The Age,
predicts that
continued sanctions by the European Union would seriously
impede major
Indonesian technical defence upgrades and have a "further
debilitating
impact" on the operational abilities of the Indonesian military (TNI).
The assessment, prepared by the Defence Intelligence
Organisation and
marked AUSTEO (Australian Eyes Only), points out that a number
of EU
countries reluctantly agreed to the ban. This raised the prospect
that
Europe would once again arm TNI ahead of expected internal
conflicts in
the Indonesian provinces of Aceh, Ambon and Irian Jaya. Defence,
intelligence and diplomatic sources say the very existence of the
document
shows it is imperative that the EU, which imposed a four-month
arms
embargo on Indonesia in September, continues the ban when it is
reconsidered on 17January. The document makes it clear that
some EU
members will put financial gain ahead of human rights, saying some
countries "only gave lukewarm support to the embargo and insisted
on the
inclusion of the four-month sunset clause". The EU embargo covers
the
export of arms and munitions as well as equipment that could be
used for
internal repression in Aceh, Irian Jaya and Ambon. It affected the
planned
sale of nine Hawk aircraft to Indonesia by Britain, which had
previously
delivered about 40 of the planes to the Indonesian military. The
British
Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, and his Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin
Cook,
were embarrassed earlier this year with the revelation that
Indonesia had
used four of the jets (despite assurances to the contrary) in East
Timor.
The Defence Intelligence Organisation document says an extended
EU embargo
is likely to affect major Indonesian defence acquisitions, including a
Netherlands-provided signal system for Indonesia's 57-metre patrol
boats,
up to 70 special armored personnel carriers and 18 reconnaissance
vehicles
from the French, and possibly a consignment of 105mm light guns
from
Britain. Extension of the ban would impact most heavily on the
operational
side of TNI and its ability to oversee internal repression.  "The arms
embargo, particularly if extended, may compel Indonesia to look to
more
'dependable' states such as China and Russia for military
equipment," the
assessment says. Diplomatic sources said that while the Prime
Minister, Mr
John Howard, had no intention of reversing the decision to
downgrade
Australian defence ties with Indonesia, Australia would not officially
lobby EU countries to extend their arms embargo.





Campagne tegen Wapenhandel
Pesthuislaan 39
1054 RH Amsterdam
tel/fax 00 31 (0)20 6164684
email: amokmar@...
http://www.antenna.nl/amokmar see also: http://www.antenna.nl/enaat

#4 From: amokmar@xxxxxxx.xx
Date: Fri Dec 17, 1999 2:00 pm
Subject: Xanana Gusmao in the EP
amokmar@xxxxxxx.xx
Send Email Send Email
 
See end of AP message 16/12/99

Xanana honored by European Parliament

  BRUSSELS — East Timorese independence leader Jose
Alexandre ‘Xanana’ Gusmao,  accepting the European Parliament’s
prestigious Sakharov human rights prize   yesterday, appealed for
international help for his country’s recovery from  the brutal end of
Indonesian rule.

  "We are in a crucial phase; we feel very fragile, very weak as we
prepare for  independence," Xanana told the European Union
assembly in Strasbourg, France.

  "Independence cannot be just a president, an anthem and a flag
— it has to be  a better life for a people that has suffered so much,"
he said.

  In winning the prize, Xanana joined a list of human rights
crusaders that  includes former South African president Nelson
Mandela, Burmese democracy  activist Aung San Suu Kyi and
Kosovo Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova.

  To a standing ovation from the 626-seat EU parliament, Xanana
paid a tribute to  Suu Kyi, who lives under tight restrictions in her
homeland.

  "She is one of the world’s greatest fighters for human rights and
democracy,"  Xanana said.

  Named after the late-Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, the 15,000
euro prize  is awarded every year to recognize personalities who
defend human rights and  democracy, even at risk to their personal
safety.

  The Parliament’s President Nicole Fontaine said Xanana was
recognized "as a  champion of freedom who has always defended
his people".

  Xanana pledged to defend human rights and democracy in East
Timor once the  country achieves full independence.

  "My commitment is that as well as the reconstruction and the
preparations for  independence, I will do all I can to create a strong
and democratic civil  society," he told a news conference.

  But he said elections and the formal move to independence were
not the first  priority as the interim UN administration struggles to
rebuild damage wrought  by pro-Indonesian forces after the
overwhelming August 30 referendum vote to  end 25 years of
Indonesian rule.

  "Its difficult to say [when elections could be held] when we are still
trying  to put roofs over people’s heads and getting the water and
electricity  systems working again," he said.

  Xanana was to leave Strasbourg for Tokyo, where he will attend
Friday’s  donors’ conference called by the World Bank to raise
US$300,000 million to  rebuild the East Timorese economy over
the next three years.

  The former guerrilla leader said East Timor needed more than just
financial  aid.

  "The reconstruction is not just material, it is social, administrative,
  political and above all human and psychological."

  Xanana said the EU should maintain an arms embargo on
Indonesia until the  military shows more clearly its commitment to
the new elected authorities.

  "The Indonesian generals have to respect the democratic elections
and the  democratic institutions developing there." — AP

Campagne tegen Wapenhandel
Pesthuislaan 39
1054 RH Amsterdam
tel/fax 00 31 (0)20 6164684
email: amokmar@...
http://www.antenna.nl/amokmar see also: http://www.antenna.nl/enaat

#3 From: coniglio@xxxxxxx.xx
Date: Thu Dec 16, 1999 12:56 pm
Subject: introduction jan thomas
coniglio@xxxxxxx.xx
Send Email Send Email
 
Hallo lijsters,

I'm the person that keeps the ENAAT website
http://www.antenna.nl/enaat
more or less up to date.
In agreement with the ENAAT 'home office' (amokmar@...),
I put up new articles.
We keep a list of Enaat core group adresses and links, these links
and nothing more. Please do not submit any other links, we will
never start an extensive 'arms trade peace groups' link list.

Besides being an internerd, I like cooking with Rampenplan, I
sincerely hope I can meet you all again in Paris at Eurosatory 2000
(and let that be last).

Remember the internet is 'public'. Also messages posted on this
list be read by people that are not a member (they have to do
something for that, but the have the means and the interest),
besides, you don't know who the members really are...

My public PGP key you can find at:
http://www.antenna.nl/ravage/text/pgpcon.txt

But then again, you don't know who I really am....

grtzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Jan Thomas

#2 From: Jens Petersson <jens.petersson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Date: Thu Dec 16, 1999 10:35 am
Subject: Re: EP will adopt resolution on the prolongation of the EU arms embargo on Indonesia
jens.petersson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Send Email Send Email
 
Ernst, I´m too unfamiliar with how things work in the EU-Parliament. Could
I take it for granted that this resolution WAS adopted and exactly in this
shape? And could you add any more details, like for example wheather it was
adopted unanimously. Such details makes it easier for ENAAT-groups to write
pressreleases themselves.

Jens, SPAS

At 18:42 1999-12-15 +0100, you wrote:
>From: "Ernst Guelcher" <eguelcher@...>
>
>Dear friends,
>
>as promised in the recent ENAAT meeting in Helsinki:
>
>To be adopted tomorrow Thursday 16 december:
>
>The European Parliament,
>
>- having regard to its previous resolutions on East Timor and Indonesia
>
>A Whereas on 16 September the Council adopted its Common Position
introducing restrictive measures against the Republic of Indonesia,
including an arms embargo and the suspension of bilateral military
co-operation between Indonesia and the EU Member states
>
>B Whereas on 11 October the Council adopted a Regulation prohibiting the
sale etc of certain specified equipment that might be used for internal
repression
>
>C Whereas both the Common Position and the Regulation will expire on 17
January 2000
>
>D Whereas the Indonesian army, including the speical troup command
Kopassus, cobntinues to commit human rights violations and acts of
repression in the provinces of Aceh , the Moluccan Islands and West Papua
and no members of the security forces have been made to account for the
thousands of violations committed there
>
>E Whereas the Indonesian army (TNI)  has failed to disarm and disband the
militia forces who are continuing to terrorise over 100.000 East Timorese
refugees trapped in West Timor and obstructing efforts by UN agencies to
safeguard their health and to repatriate them to East Timor
>
>F Whereas the Indonesian authorities and the TNI in particular are
implacably opposed to co-operating with an international commission of
inquiry set up by the UN to investigate crimes against humanity in East Timor
>
>1 Urges the new Indonesian Government to find a peaceful solution to the
situation in Aceh, on the Moluccan Islands, West Papua and other parts of
Indonesia
>
>2 Asks the Indonesian Government to bring to account those responsible for
violations of human rights in, Aceh, the Moluccan Islands, West Papua as
well as other parts of the country, and in East Timor, wether committed by
civilians, militias or the military,  calls on all parties concerned to
collaborate fully in this investigation  and calls upon the Indonesian
Government to disband the special troup command Kopassus
>
>3 Recognises that the resumption of the export of arms and other
prohibited equipment to the Republic of Indonesia and the resumption of
military co-operation will send a signal to the Indonesian armed forces
that they have been rehabilitated and will legitimise their continuing
repressive role in the internal governance of Indonesia
>
>4 Therefore, asks the Council to examine possible adjustments of its
Common Position 1999/624/CFSP and to Regulation EC 2158/1999  in the light
of developments in Indonesia, including the East Timorese refugees in West
Timor, with a view to extending the duration of both instruments beyond 17
January 2000
>
>5 Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission,
the Council, the parliaments of the Member states, the UN Secretary
General, the government of Indonesia and the leader of the CNRT, Xanana
Gusmao
>
>>Community email addresses:
>  Post message: ENAAT@onelist.com
>  Subscribe:    ENAAT-subscribe@onelist.com
>  Unsubscribe:  ENAAT-unsubscribe@onelist.com
>  List owner:   ENAAT-owner@onelist.com
>
>Shortcut URL to this page:
>  http://www.onelist.com/community/ENAAT
>
---------------------------------------
Jens Petersson
generalsekreterare
Svenska Freds- och Skiljedomsföreningen
Box 4134
102 63  STOCKHOLM
08-702 18 30 (växel)
08-702 26 50 (direkt)
0709-540 510 (mobil)
fax: 08-702 18 46
e-post: jens.petersson@...
"Internet": www.svenska-freds.se
---------------------------------------

#1 From: "Ernst Guelcher" <eguelcher@xxxxxxxx.xx.xxxx
Date: Wed Dec 15, 1999 5:42 pm
Subject: EP will adopt resolution on the prolongation of the EU arms embargo on Indonesia
eguelcher@xxxxxxxx.xx.xxxx
Send Email Send Email
 
Dear friends,

as promised in the recent ENAAT meeting in Helsinki:

To be adopted tomorrow Thursday 16 december:

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on East Timor and Indonesia

A Whereas on 16 September the Council adopted its Common Position introducing
restrictive measures against the Republic of Indonesia, including an arms
embargo and the suspension of bilateral military co-operation between Indonesia
and the EU Member states

B Whereas on 11 October the Council adopted a Regulation prohibiting the sale
etc of certain specified equipment that might be used for internal repression

C Whereas both the Common Position and the Regulation will expire on 17 January
2000

D Whereas the Indonesian army, including the speical troup command Kopassus,
cobntinues to commit human rights violations and acts of repression in the
provinces of Aceh , the Moluccan Islands and West Papua and no members of the
security forces have been made to account for the thousands of violations
committed there

E Whereas the Indonesian army (TNI)  has failed to disarm and disband the
militia forces who are continuing to terrorise over 100.000 East Timorese
refugees trapped in West Timor and obstructing efforts by UN agencies to
safeguard their health and to repatriate them to East Timor

F Whereas the Indonesian authorities and the TNI in particular are implacably
opposed to co-operating with an international commission of inquiry set up by
the UN to investigate crimes against humanity in East Timor

1 Urges the new Indonesian Government to find a peaceful solution to the
situation in Aceh, on the Moluccan Islands, West Papua and other parts of
Indonesia

2 Asks the Indonesian Government to bring to account those responsible for
violations of human rights in, Aceh, the Moluccan Islands, West Papua as well as
other parts of the country, and in East Timor, wether committed by civilians,
militias or the military,  calls on all parties concerned to collaborate fully
in this investigation  and calls upon the Indonesian Government to disband the
special troup command Kopassus

3 Recognises that the resumption of the export of arms and other prohibited
equipment to the Republic of Indonesia and the resumption of  military
co-operation will send a signal to the Indonesian armed forces that they have
been rehabilitated and will legitimise their continuing  repressive role in the
internal governance of Indonesia

4 Therefore, asks the Council to examine possible adjustments of its Common
Position 1999/624/CFSP and to Regulation EC 2158/1999  in the light of
developments in Indonesia, including the East Timorese refugees in West Timor,
with a view to extending the duration of both instruments beyond 17 January 2000

5 Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the
Council, the parliaments of the Member states, the UN Secretary General, the
government of Indonesia and the leader of the CNRT, Xanana Gusmao

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