UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL

Open Meeting - Situation in East Timor

Statement by H.E. Ms Penny Wensley
Ambassador and Permanent Representative 

26 January 2001

Mr President

Thank you for arranging this open meeting of the Council which has given non- members the opportunity to hear a briefing directly from the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Mr Vieira de Mello, on developments in UNTAET over the past six months, and his views on the tasks and challenges which must be dealt with in East Timor in the coming year, and beyond. I would like to thank Mr Vieira de Mello for his thorough and very useful briefing and to reiterate the Australian Government's appreciation of the excellent work of UNTAET under his guidance as the Secretary-General's Special Representative.

The work of UNTAET, in close cooperation with the East Timorese, over the past 15 months, has set in place many of the building blocks required for East Timor to become a self-reliant independent nation.

The renewal of UNTAET's mandate will be influential in determining UNTAET's capacity to continue to build on the work it has done so far and, importantly, to focus on preparations for the next steps - up to independence and beyond.

Continuing challenges

Australia welcomes recent UN efforts to accelerate the transfer of authority to the East Timorese. We agree with the emphasis in the Secretary-General's report on maintaining the pace of Timorisation over the coming months.

As a fundamental element of capacity-building, Timorisation will remain critical to East Timor's successful transition to independence. Continued capacity and institution-building will be essential to achieve a transfer of authority from the UN to an effective East Timorese Government and administration.

In addition to this key task, UNTAET and the East Timorese face other considerable challenges over the next twelve months. One of these is to build the basis for a transparent, democratic political system, including through the provision of adequate civic education. Another is assisting the development of East Timorese capacity to maintain security, law and order. The establishment of the East Timorese Defence Force will be an important factor enhancing East Timor's capacity for self-reliance in security matters. We also look forward to progress in the training and development of the Timor Lorosae Police Force, as independence approaches

The prompt repatriation of remaining East Timorese refugees in west Timor remains an important and pressing priority for East Timor's future stability and security. An end to militia intimidation, unimpeded access to camps for humanitarian workers and a credible registration process all remain key prerequisites for this to succeed.

UNTAET mandate renewal

As I have emphasised at every opportunity, Australia considers it crucial that international support for East Timor's transition to independence be maintained. Gains have been made, but there is signficant distance yet to be travelled to consolidate the work of UNTAET to date, and to build the necessary foundations for an independent East Timor which will take its place in the region and in the United Nations, confident, secure and well-prepared to manage the challenges of statehood.

For all these reasons Australia strongly supports the Secretary-General's recommendation to renew UNTAET's mandate until 31 December 2001. We look to the Council to renew UNTAET's current mandate in terms which secure continuity of its operation. Given continuing security concerns, maintenance of a strong security component is particularly important: troop contributing countries will need to remain committed to the UNTAET PKO over this period. It is our firm view that any consideration of a reduction in the military component of UNTAET should be based on an objective military assessment by UNTAET forces. It is the situation and circumstances on the ground that must be the paramount determinant.

We would like to take this opportunity to note Australia's appreciation for the outstanding leadership Thailand is providing to the current UNTAET PKO.

Finally Mr President, on the subject of the UNTAET PKO, in recognition of the recent important discussions on HIV/AIDs and peacekeeping in the Council, and indeed elsewhere in the UN system, I also want to highlight the importance Australia attaches to UNTAET PKO members being fully briefed on the prevention and control of HIV/AIDs and other communicable diseases.

Planning for the UN's future role

The UN's role in East Timor will not end on the day of independence, although the nature of the organisation's relationship with the East Timorese will change as soon as they achieve Government of their own independent nation. We should therefore be thinking and planning now for the period beyond independence, when it will be necessary to ensure that the groundwork laid by UNTAET during the transitional period can be maintained and developed by the new East Timorese administration.

The Secretary-General's report recognises that an independent East Timor will still require substantial international support, including military and civilian police components and support for civilian administration.

I reiterate that it is timely now that Member States - particularly troop-contributing nations - focus on the need for early planning and preparation for such a presence, including possible contributions. Australia is certainly giving close consideration to these matters, and looks forward to ongoing dialogue with UNTAET, in turn in close consultation and collaboration with the East Timorese, on the appropriate shape and mandate for a future UN presence. East Timorese input on models for post-independence UN-East Timorese cooperation will obviously be critical to the planning and preparations for the next phase in its transition. Ultimately it will be for the East Timorese themselves to determine how they wish the UN to assist.

To contribute to this process of dialogue and consultation, including with other international players, Australia offers the following ideas on the future UN role.

Any post-independence UN presence in East Timor will most likely be smaller than UNTAET, and focused on the main task of assisting East Timor with capacity and institution-building, including in the areas of financial management, judiciary, police, defence, health, education and infrastructure. To this end the Mission should be staffed by UN personnel with appropriate experience and qualifications, capable of providing skills transfer to accelerate the localisation of skills. The mandate for a new Mission obviously should be constructed to ensure that it has an appropriate relationship with the new East Timorese Government.

A post-independence UN security component should take the form of a blue-helmet operation mandated by the Security Council with a clear end-state. The size of the PKO should be based on an assessment of the security situation closer to independence. Diversity of troop contributions will remain important, and a wide range of international contributors, including strong regional representation, should be encouraged. In the field of law and order, assessments of the results of police training to date indicate that UN civilian police will need to remain beyond independence.

More broadly in the area of security, I would make two additional points which may seem obvious, but which should not be underestimated. Firstly, the need for continued efforts to bring to justice those responsible for crimes and human rights violations in East Timor. Secondly, the importance of East Timor working actively to build positive relations with its neighbours, especially Indonesia.

Finally, Mr President

It is fundamental that arrangements across a range of areas, of which financial are particularly important, support the transition to an effective East Timorese government and administration and do not cease on the formal date of independence. In this context, we endorse the Secretary-General's support for consideration of increasing flexibility in the use of assessed contributions allocated to UNTAET and its post-independence successor.




Mr President

The focus of my remarks today has been twofold. Firstly, Australia fully supports the continuing UNTAET operation, including the progressive transfer of authority to the East Timorese, as the path to a fully functioning independent state.

Secondly, it is our strong view that it is important that the international community begin now to think about, and prepare the groundwork for, an appropriate UN presence in East Timor after independence. In order to be effective, and to preserve all of the gains made by UNTAET, the transition from one to the other must be as seamless as possible, in both organisational and financial terms.

Many of us here today have already made a significant investment in the future of East Timor. The long-term success of that future depends on continuing commitment to the UNTAET operation and our willingness to focus now on planning and preparation for the period beyond independence.

Let me assure the Council and Member States that Australia remains committed to East Timor and ready to do its part, working with the UN, the East Timorese, and other interational players which share that commitment.

Thank you.