Annan says UN should send peacekeepers back to East Timor

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Tuesday appealed for sustained international engagement in East Timor, saying it is "obvious" that UN peacekeepers need to go back to the tiny state stricken by riots recently.

"We have learned -- at a painful price for Timor-Leste -- that the building of institutions on the basis of fundamental principles of democracy and rule of law is not a simple process that can be completed within a few short years," Annan told the 15- member body.

East Timor, officially known as Timor-Leste, was shepherded to independence by the UN four years ago, which is now in turmoil after the dismissal in April of nearly a third of the armed forces, following by the eruption of killings, rioting and gang violence.

"The sad events of recent weeks reflect shortcomings not only on the part of the Timorese leadership, but also on the part of the international community, in adequately sustaining Timor-Leste's nation-building process," Annan observed.

He appealed to the Security Council to stand united in supporting East Timor's return to normality, and to help its citizens resume their work to build a peaceful and prosperous nation.
"Clearly, tremendous work lies ahead, both for the government of Timor-Leste and for the international community," he noted.

In his briefing, Annan's special envoy to East Timor, Ian Martin, outlined recommendations for renewed international involvement he culled from his recent mission to the nation.

Priorities include restoration of the security sector, including the long-term development of the national police, which he said "was not completed in previous international efforts and has now encountered serious set-back and need for review."

In addition, he said there was strong consensus that the UN should play a major role in the organization of elections for 2007 and in fostering national reconciliation, as well as establishing an independent Special Inquiry Committee to conduct an investigation to the deadly incidents of the past two months.

Asked by reporters outside the council meeting for his priorities among those recommendations, Annan said that a bolstered international presence was crucial.

"It is obvious that the UN will have to go back to Timor-Leste in a much larger form than we are at the moment, and we will need to send an assessment mission on the ground to determine exactly what needs to be done."

He added that he has asked Louise Arbour, the UN high commissioner for human rights, to take the lead in establishing the investigation committee.

Annan spoke after Timorese Ambassador Jose Luis Guterres told the council that the United Nations must establish a new mission with a police force to replace the peacekeepers sent by Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Malaysia now in place.

He spoke on behalf of Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, who could not attend because of the unrest, which has killed more than 30 people in the last month.

The UN presence has decreased gradually since the original UN Transitional Administration was set up in 1999 after the country voted for independence from Indonesia.

Once independence was attained in 2002, that mission was replaced with a downsized operation, the UN Mission of Support in East Timor, which in turn was succeeded by the current small UN office in Timor-Leste.

Source: Xinhua