Tell the Australia and the U.S. to Support a Unified UN Mission in Timor-Leste

Phone, fax or e-mail the U.S. and Australian missions to the United Nations today! See sample letters below.

Tell them that a fully integrated UN mission – which must include a single military force - will
provide the best support for Timor-Leste. If Australian soldiers are separate from the
integrated UN effort, coordination will be more difficult and resentment toward Australia will grow within Timor-Leste.

Permanent Mission of Australia to the UN, Ambassador Robert Hill (212) 351-6600; fax (212) 351-6610;
australia@un.int
150 East 42 St, 33rd Flr.
New York, NY 10017-5612

Australians can write PM Howard directly at http://www.pm.gov.au/email.cfm

United States Mission to the UN, Ambassador John R. Bolton (212) 415-4000, fax (212) 415-4443;
usunpublicaffairs@state.gov
140 East 45 St.
New York, N.Y. 10017

You can fax both missions from ETAN's website: go to http://etan.org/action/2006/09unified.htm.

Thank you for your support. Please let us know the results of your contacts.

Contact John M. Miller (718) 596-7668; etan@etan.org.


See additional background below.

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Sample Letter for Australian Ambassador:

Dear Ambassador Hill,

I am writing to urge Australia to fully participate in an integrated UN mission in
Timor-Leste. Australia's wish to keep its troops under separate command is not in Timor-Leste's interest and will make international support for Timor-Leste in its current crisis less effective.
Such an arrangement will also exacerbate resentment toward Australia among the Timorese people.

Helping Timor-Leste achieve stability, peace and democracy requires a well-coordinated
international response involving all participating countries and international institutions.

Integrating all the international security components will improve accountability and demonstrate respect for the people and government of Timor-Leste, given their government's clearly expressed preference for an integrated UN mission.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION

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Sample Letter for U.S. Ambassador:

Dear Ambassador Bolton,

I am writing to urge U.S. support for a fully integrated UN mission in Timor-Leste. Australia's
wish to keep its troops under separate command is not in Timor-Leste's interest and will make
international support for Timor-Leste in its current crisis less effective. Such an arrangement will also exacerbate resentment toward Australia among the Timorese people.

Helping Timor-Leste achieve stability, peace and democracy requires a well-coordinated
international response involving all participating countries and international institutions. Integrating all the international security components will improve accountability and demonstrate respect for the people and government of Timor-Leste, given their government's clearly expressed preference for an integrated UN mission.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION


Background

In response to Timor-Leste's recent crisis, the UN has expanded its mission for Timor-Leste. In
creating UNMIT (United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste) on August 25, the UN Security Council deferred deciding on whether the bulk of its military component should be part of the UN mission or remain under Australian command. A final decision on the military command structure will be made after the Secretary-General reports on the issue October 25.

While Australia has placed its police within a unified UN police force, it has insisted on keeping its military troops (the majority of the multinational force deployed in late May at the request of Timor-Leste government) under Australian command. This position is contrary to the recommendation of the UN Secretary-General and to the wishes of Timor-Leste and other
governments who prefer a unified military force integrated into the UN mission. The U.S. and UK support Australia.

Australia's insistence on keeping its troops under a separate, national command structure will
make coordination difficult, lessening the confidence and security that the UNMIT is intended to provide for the people of Timor-Leste. It will also increase already heightened suspicion among many East Timorese of the motives of the Australian forces.

The Timor-Leste NGO Forum has also urged an integrated mission, saying that "there will be a
greater degree of accountability for UN forces as it is a civilian led, international, neutral
institution." The group added, "There is an inherently unequal relationship in Timor-Leste's
dealings with other more powerful countries on a bilateral basis. Working through the UN would avoid this situation."

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