Brussels - The EU said it would not renew its arms embargo against Indonesia which expired yesterday, but voiced concern about the violence sweeping the archipelago nation. The EU adopted a four-month embargo on arms sales to Indonesia last September to put pressure on Jakarta to respect East Timor's vote for independence.
In a statement issued by current EU president Portugal, the EU said it believed the embargo imposed on the previous Indonesian government "need not be renewed". But it said it would strictly implement the EU code of conduct on arms exports. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, last night noted the strict application of the code in future EU sales to Indonesia.