Bill Title
Commemorating the independence of East Timor and commending the President for promptly establishing diplomatic relations with East Timor.
Committees
House International Relations; Senate Foreign Relations
Bill Summary
Congratulates and honors the courageous people of East Timor and their leaders. Welcomes East Timor into the community of nations as a sovereign state. Supports the efforts of United Nations and international organizations to support reconstruction and development in East Timor, and of UN and international peacekeeping forces to safeguard East Timor's security, including continuing periodic visits by U.S. military forces.Expresses continued concern over deplorable humanitarian conditions and an environment of intimidation among the East Timorese refugees living in West Timor.Supports prompt, safe, voluntary repatriation and reintegration of East Timorese refugees, in particular those still held in militia-controlled refugee camps in West Timor, especially reunification of East Timorese children separated from their parents through coercion or force.Expresses a commitment to maintaining appropriate restrictions and prohibitions in law on military assistance, training relations, and technical support to the Indonesian Armed Forces.Acknowledges that a United Nations International Commission of Inquiry found in January 2000 that justice is "fundamental for the future social and political stability of East Timor," and remains deeply concerned about the lack of justice in the region.Commends the President for immediately extending to East Timor diplomatic relations afforded to other sovereign nations, including the establishment of an embassy in East Timor.Urges the President and the Secretary of State to: (1) maintain a level of U.S. assistance for East Timor; (2) work to fund in a generous and responsible way East Timor's financing gap in its recurrent and development budgets, coordinating with other donors; (3) focus bilateral assistance for East Timor on the areas of employment creation, job training, rural reconstruction, microenterprise, environmental protection, health care, education, refugee resettlement, reconciliation and conflict resolution, and strengthening the role of women in society; (4) strongly urge the Indonesian Government to step up efforts to disarm and disband all militia, hold them accountable to the rule of law, ensure stability along the border, and promptly reunite East Timorese children separated from their parents through coercion or force; and (5) review thoroughly information from the East Timorese Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation, and use all diplomatic resources at their disposal to ensure that those officials responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes against the East Timorese people are held accountable, and that the Indonesian Government fully cooperates with the East Timorese judicial system.
Bill
H.CON.RES.405
Sponsor
Committee
House International Relations; Senate Foreign Relations
Associated Rollcalls