Annan wants Timor troops to stay

UN military personnel have been helping train a new Timorese defense force

UNITED NATIONS -- United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has recommended maintaining an international peacekeeping force in East Timor for at least another two years to ensure the new nation's stability and security.

As the territory prepares to celebrate independence next month Annan told the 15-nation Security Council in New York that the hard-won peace in East Timor was at risk if peacekeepers were withdrawn immediately.

He said that while East Timor was now at peace, with "fundamental government structures" in place, the territory remained very poor and anti-independence militias remained a threat.

The militias, most of which have since retreated to Indonesian-controlled West Timor, went on the rampage in the wake of the 1999 independence referendum laying waste to much of the territory.

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Presenting his report to Security Council members Annan recommended the creation of a U.N. Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) providing back-up and advice to the new government.

Annan, who has already named India's ambassador to UN, Kamalesh Sharma as the head of the new mission, said it was important that member states demonstrate their continued commitment to East Timor.

The mandate of the current U.N. transitional administration (UNTAET) expires on May 20 when East Timor is formally declared independent at a ceremony in Dili which Annan is scheduled to attend.

Support Group

UNTAET has been governing East Timor and building up the foundations of self-governance over the past two-and-a-half years following the 1999 independence vote.

Outlining the new U.N. mission's structure Annan said the body would focus on three key areas:

The UN has been preparing East Timor for independence since the 1999 vote

As part of the process the Secretary General proposed assigning a "Civilian Support Group" of international experts to aid the new East Timorese government.

A particular focus of their assistance would be the justice system and the conduct of serious crimes investigations, both of which are seen as key weaknesses of the new administration.

On the military front Annan said the U.N. presence would continue to be a key player in ensuring East Timor's territorial integrity.

Force downsized

He said the force would be gradually downsized over the coming two years, eventually handing full responsibility to the East Timor Defence Force on a target date of June 2004.

Earlier this week officials from East Timor and Indonesia began a 12-day operation to demarcate their land borders and clarify the new nation's territorial boundaries.

However, Annan's report added that the reduction of the UN presence would depend on the assumption that the threat posed by militias would also reduce over time.

"The UNMISET mandate implementation plan establishes milestones that will allow the Security Council to monitor the achievement of the mission's goals," Annan said.

"The objectives are realistic and achievable, but they cannot be realized by UNMISET alone," he added.

"Member States that are in a position to lend the necessary support, and have the means to do so, should demonstrate their continued commitment to this cause."