Brussels, 09/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - On 8 June, the Portuguese Presidency made the following statement, on behalf of the European Union, on Indonesia:
"The EU has taken note of the declaration made by the Papuan Congress on 3 June. It has repeatedly stressed its support for Indonesia's territorial integrity and for the efforts of the current Indonesian Government to solve problems such as Aceh and Irian Jaya through peaceful negotiation. The EU expects to reiterate that support when EU Foreign Ministers meet the Indonesian Foreign Minister on 14 June to launch the enhanced EU-Indonesia relationship.
The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declaration."
The Papuan Congress announced the independence of the Papuan province in eastern Indonesia (Irian Jaya), after six days of meetings attended by 2,500 delegates from Papuan tribal groups. Indonesian President Abdurahman Wahid declared that he was prepared to use police and military forces to restore order in the province and preserve the integrity of the territory, while calling on the pro-government militia and independence supporters to avoid violence.