Mr David Norris (Ind) is to boycott today's history-making address to the Oireachtas by the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair.
Mr Norris confirmed yesterday that he would not attend the joint sitting of the Dail and Seanad as a protest against British arms sales to Indonesia.
"Obviously, it's a historic occasion," said the Trinity senator, who has been one of the strongest campaigners for an end to the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. "He's an engaging person, but there is so much unresolved business there."
The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, had spoken about conducting an ethical foreign policy, yet his government continued to sell Hawker jets in the full knowledge that that kind of military equipment was being used against an innocent civilian population in East Timor. This unprincipled behaviour had to be highlighted, Mr Norris said.
Mr Norris was mainly instrumental in having an all-party motion adopted by the Seanad earlier this week calling for the release of the political leader of the East Timorese people and for the dispatch of UN observers to the former Portuguese colony. Copies of the special Seanad debate should be forwarded to the Indonesian government and to the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Mrs Mary Robinson, he suggested.
He was supported on the arms-sales issue by Mr John Connor (FG), who said in the debate that this trade, conducted by countries like Britain, Germany and France, must stop.
Complimenting Mr Norris, Mr Don Lydon (FF) said he was a man who kept pushing the East Timor agenda. What was happening in that tragic part of the world was about Indonesian and Australian interests in taking oil from the East Timorese people. He realised they offended the Australians by saying this, but he believed the Australian administration was not taking a sufficiently strong stand on the matter.
Joining in condemnation of events in East Timor, Mr Michael Lanigan (FF) said Conor O'Clery was sending back disturbing and accurate reports. "This is important as a further example of what might be done to bring the East Timorese to the fore of people's minds. I am glad The Irish Times is doing that because, to my knowledge, no other organ of the media has gone to East Timor to bring back details in a concerted way."