If US imposes embargo, Freeport Indonesia will be closed down

The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais downed played the American government's threat to impose an economic embargo on Indonesia for the latter's slow action against the Jakarta-backed East Timorese militias.

The outspoken Amien said in Jakarta late last week that if the United States government finally imposed an embargo on Indonesia, all the American economic interests in Indonesia would face difficulties

"I think (if the embargo is imposed), we will close down Freeport Indonesia and other American economic interests in the country," he was quoted as saying by Suara Karya daily.

Speaking at a seminar, the MPR speaker said that the Indonesian people should not easily bow to any threat made by the West. "If we are soft in facing the threat, we will then be diminished as a nation," he added.

In his recent visit to Jakarta, the U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen threatened Indonesia that the U.S. government might impose an embargo if it failed to immediately disarm the Timorese militias, which have been blamed for the killing of the United Nations humanitarians in Attambua, West Timor.

The World Bank has also supported Cohen's statement on the need to impose a harsh measure on Indonesia if it failed to act against the militias. The Indonesian government later promised to impose a strong measure against the militias following the threat. Newspapers reported on Monday that the disarming of the militias had started, and hundreds of automatic and self-made weapons had been surrendered by the so-called militias to the local police.

Meanwhile State Minister for Research and Technology AS Hikam also dismissed the American threat, saying that if the U.S. went ahead with its threat, it would not only hurt its economic interests but also its political interests. (*)