UK: NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER JOSE RAMOS HORTA VISIT скачать в хорошем качестве

UK: NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER JOSE RAMOS HORTA VISIT

(11 Jul 1997) English/Nat East Timor independence leader Jose Ramos Horta has expressed optimism that Britain will eventually block the export of weapons and machinery used by Indonesian troops in the former Portuguese colony. Nobel peace prize winner Horta, who met British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook in London on Thursday, said Britain's new Labour government showed a more positive attitude towards human rights in East Timor. Although he does not expect an immediate ban on arms sales to Indonesia, Horta says he now has strong hope that Britain will be supportive of UN led talks. When Robin Cook became Britain's foreign secretary in May, he pledged to prioritise human rights issues, and on Thursday he added a little weight to that promise. His meeting with East Timor's exiled independence leader, Jose Ramos Horta, was the first of a kind. It is the first time a British foreign secretary has met an independence leader from the former Portuguese colony since Indonesia annexed it in 1975. Now that the Labour Party has unseated the Conservative Party from 18 years in office, Nobel peace prize winner Horta is confident of increased support from London. He is especially concerned about British arms exports to Indonesia - a country led by what he calls an oppressive regime. SOUNDBITE: (English) "The minister reassured me once again that the British government is very committed to the United Nations process regarding East Timor, he will be very supportive to all efforts to find a settlement and he informed us that there is an active review process regarding arms sales to Indonesia. We don't know yet which kinds of weapons will be affected, but his position is well known, and the government's is well known, in that any weapon prone to be used in East Timor certainly will be reviewed, and we were very satisfied with that assurance." Q: "But for the moment the Land Rovers and water cannons are still going to be exported, did he not say for definite that there would be a ban on those machines and weapons?" A: "The minister did not elaborate, did not make any kind of decisive comment on these kinds of weapons which we are worried most about, like the Land Rovers and armoured vehicles, but we understand his position because there is still a review process going on and this review process will be announced, I don't know, in the next few weeks or months. What is important, I believe on our side, is that there is seriousness and commitment on the part of the government to really view the entire arms policy to Indonesia, and any weapon that is used in East Timor, they have as much evidence as we do that some weapons are being used in East Timor, then they will stop delivery of these weapons." SUPER CAPTION: Dr. Jose Ramos Horta, Nobel Laureate and East Timor Resistance Spokesman abroad The United Nations, which has never recognised Indonesian sovereignty, has been trying to mediate an agreement on East Timor since 1983. But both Portugal and Indonesia have refused to budge from their positions. Indonesia refuses to discuss the 'final status' of the territory while Portugal has insisted on a referendum to determine its future. Horta says diplomatic efforts must continue. SOUNDBITE: (English) SUPER CAPTION: Dr. Jose Ramos Horta, Nobel Laureate and East Timor Resistance Spokesman abroad Horta has campaigned for two decades for independence for East Timor, which Indonesia invaded in 1975 after a brief civil war. Indonesia, which has since annexed the former Portuguese colony, claims the territory as its 27th province. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...