[Peace-discuss] Fw: Ramos-Horta: War for Peace?

[C. G. Estabrook]

[Ramos-Horta aided East Timor's liberation struggle by courting the
country ultimately responsible for its oppression, the US.  Some
psychoanalysts speak of "identification with the aggressor," but he may
have been doing it for political rather than psychological reasons -- and
may still be doing it, for either or both of those reasons. In any case,
here's another view from East Timor, from the East Timor Action Network
page. Regards, Carl]

   Statement presented to the United States, United Kingdom and
   Australian embassies in Dili, East Timor, 15 February 2003
   
   Hapara Funu - Stop War
   
   The impending war between the United States (with a few supporters)
   and Iraq is a matter of global concern, and we, the people of East
   Timor, like so many people everywhere in the world, want to make our
   voices heard.
   
   The government of the United States (with support from Great Britain
   and Australia) is leading the charge for war against Iraq. These three
   governments have helped East Timor's independence since 1999 but from
   1975 until 1999 they supported the brutal Indonesian military
   occupation of this country, supplying weapons and training to the
   Indonesian army to better enable it to kill and torture the East
   Timorese people.
   
   There is no moral principle in their current desire to overthrow
   Saddam Hussein, which will create massive casualties among Iraqi
   civilians and others, when they felt no compulsion to overthrow
   Suharto, who was at least as bloody and brutal as Hussein. We believe
   that the real reason for this call for war is OIL not Saddam Hussein,
   international terrorism, or weapons of mass destruction. The United
   States, like many other governments that now want to overthrow Saddam
   Hussein, supported this same Saddam Hussein when his policies on oil
   were profitable for their companies.
   
   Suharto's dictatorship was eventually ousted by the Indonesian people,
   who accomplished regime change through largely peaceful means. The
   people of East Timor made our own regime change through the Popular
   Consultation. In both cases, international support was mostly
   nonviolent and always defensive, never targeting civilians.
   
   As every East Timorese knows, the Indonesian invasion of this country
   resulted in massive civilian casualties and destruction. Yet, during
   24 years of illegal occupation, neither East Timor's resistance nor any
   foreign government advocated invading Indonesia or attacking
   Indonesian civilians. The Indonesian people, like the East Timorese,
   were victims of Suharto, not to be punished for his crimes.
   
   Likewise, the people of Iraq, living under Saddam's repression, are not
   his co-conspirators. An invasion of Iraq would kill even more Iraqi
   civilians, on top of hundreds of thousands who have already died from
   the decade-long embargo. The decision about who should govern Iraq is
   one for the people of Iraq to make, not foreign governments although
   those governments can provide nonmilitary help, if requested by the
   Iraqi population.
   
   The United Nations is dealing effectively with the dangers of Iraq's
   possible weapons of mass destruction, and we urge all governments
   especially Iraq and the United States to cooperate with its
   multilateral process, and to use every chance for negotiation and
   compromise.
   
   After 25 years of war, the people of East Timor want peace not only
   for ourselves, but for the whole world. East Timor is a small and new
   nation, but we know quite a lot about the death and destruction that
   come with war, and we don't want to see similar destruction anywhere.
   Therefore, the civil society organizations signed below, joined by
   many, urge all governments to respect the decisions of the United
   Nations, and not to take the law, or the war, into their own hands.
   Human life is too precious to be wasted for political or economic
   profit.
   
   Dili, East Timor, 15th February 2003
   International Day Against the War in Iraq
   
   Sah'e Institute for Liberation
   Lao Hamutuk (The East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring
   and Analysis)
   Perhimpunan HAK (Association for Law, Rights and Justice)
   Fokupers (East Timor Womens Communications Forum)
   Haburas (Green environmental organization)
   Asosiasaun Mane Kontra Violensia (Mens Association Against Violence)
   Judicial System Monitoring Programme
   Fortilos (Indonesian Forum for East Timor Solidarity)
   Renetil (National East Timor Student Resistance)
   Leziaval
   
   see also Dili Anti-War Protest, Feb. 15
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   The East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis
   1a Rua Mozambique, Farol, Dili, Timor Lorosae
   P.O. Box 340, Dili, East Timor (via Darwin, Australia)
   Tel: +670(390)325013 or +61(408)811373
   email: laohamutuk at easttimor.minihub.org
   Web: http://www.etan.org/lh