Mrs Mary Robinson made it clear to Indonesia's Attorney General yesterday that if Indonesia did not bring the main culprits of last year's East Timor violence to trial, the UN would unilaterally call an international war crimes tribunal. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights was speaking in Jakarta after spending almost a week in East Timor.
The Attorney General, Mr Marzuki Darusman, said after meeting her for more than an hour that his office should be ready to name those on a list of suspects in the violence within a month.
"The investigation is well underway, and the investigation team has returned from East Timor. I think we'll begin to finalise their findings in one or two weeks," he said.
Mrs Robinson told reporters: "We are both aware of the importance of a credible system of justice." "I brought a very strong message to the attorney general of the deep concerns of the people of East Timor and the growing sense of frustration and impatience that justice must be done.
"I am confident that we'll be very much on top of the agenda of the Attorney General in the coming weeks."
Asked if she was also sure that those guilty would be brought to trial, she replied: "Yes, I am confident. I have made it clear that the important thing is to have a credible system of trial of the worst of the perpetrators. The process here in Indonesia is underway.
"I have offered, and the offer had been accepted, to send further technical support and expertise in this very important and difficult task of the establishment of the human rights tribunal and the process of the trial.
"In the event of all of that going ahead as I hope and believe, then that's the preferred solution for the international community [rather than an international war crimes tribunal]."
The Timor tribunal issue is ultra-sensitive in Indonesia, especially because a preliminary probe named former armed forces chief General Wiranto as "morally responsible" for the bloodshed.
Asked if he feared a backlash from elements of the armed forces if he pushed ahead with the inquiry Mr Marzuki said that so far he had not run into insurmountable obstacles.
"So far we're showed there's continuing support from the armed forces and from the leadership of the armed forces," he said.
Australian soldiers have wounded and captured an armed East Timorese militiaman near the border with West Timor, a defence department spokesman said. Although the soldiers were fired upon there were no Australian casualties in the incident on Sunday.