Summary: September 29, 2000: Statement By Mr. Jean-David Levitte, Permanent Representative of France to the Security Council On Behalf of the European Union. The situation in East Timor (New York)
Mr. President,
At the outset I congratulate you, Sir, for completing your month on an issue of particular interest to us and which has allowed us to hear from our friend Sergio Vieira de Mello and to have in the Chamber with us our friend José Ramos-Horta.
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union - Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia - and the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey align themselves with this statement.
On behalf of the European Union, I would like to once again most warmly welcome Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello and to thank him for his briefing. We appreciate the remarkable work that has already been done by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and his entire team, and their determination to fulfil as effectively as possible the mandate of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). The European Union reaffirms its solidarity with the people of East Timor
and its support for UNTAET in its efforts to meet one of the United Nations greatest challenges: to lead East Timor within a limited timeframe, on the path to democracy and to allow this country to establish secure relations with all its neighbours.
The European Union commends in particular the work done by UNTAET in four fields.
The first is the preservation of public order. Notwithstanding the difficulties encountered at the border with West Timor - about which I will have more to say - UNTAET has done excellent work in the effort to preserve public order in Timor. The European Union encourages UNTAET to pursue the dialogue with the local community and with the political and religious leaders so as to better ensure the promotion of the values of tolerance.
The second field is reconstruction. The European Union is pleased by the efforts UNTAET and the World Bank have made to accelerate the disbursement of specially earmarked funds of the World Bank and thus to remedy the problems encountered at the beginning of the year. The establishment of a consolidated overall budget for the budget year 2000-2001 - which budget was approved at the Lisbon conference last June - constitutes a significant step forward in this regard. The identification and
enhancement of the reconstruction capacities of the East Timorese remain essential objectives.
The third field is the establishment of the East Timorese administration. The European Union takes note with satisfaction of the training programme for civil servants that has been implemented by UNTAET and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). As a result, the number of East Timorese in the administration has noticeably increased during the last few months. The European Union encourages UNTAET to accelerate the training programme for the civil police so as to ensure a smooth
transition when the United Nations force departs.
The fourth and final field is the political transition. The European Union fully supports the process initiated by UNTAET to develop mechanisms for good governance, get the East Timorese more involved in decision-making and prepare them for democracy, after the organization of the elections planned for next year.
As for the transferring of competence that is now under way, the European Union would like to know Mr. Vieira de Mello's preliminary evaluation of the functioning of his coalition Government. What improvements might be possible? Do the donor countries and agencies have a role to play in this field?
The European Union believes that, in order for UNTAET's efforts to be successful, it is essential to maintain a climate of peace and stability in East Timor. In this context, the European Union recalls the request made by the Security Council on 3 August and considers it important that a special briefing on the military situation be held. The European Union would like in particular to have access to current information regarding the military needs of UNTAET, the consequences of the insecurity
along the West Timor border, the effective distribution of resources in the territory in accordance with local security constraints, the tasks that have been effectively passed on to the military component of UNTAET, and the prospects for the further evolution of the Mission.
As I already stressed last month, the European Union believes that the conditions are now in place in East Timor to allow the Timorese to undertake the process for a solid and lasting national reconciliation. In this context it is essential that the international community show its commitment to support the rehabilitation and development of East Timor. The European Union will continue to assist the people of East Timor at this critical moment in the establishment of their nation.
The European Union is pleased by the excellent cooperation in East Timor between UNTAET and UNDP and the other specialized agencies and funds of the United Nations. It believes that the quality of this cooperation should, at the appropriate moment, facilitate the exchange of authority between the Transitional Administration and the Timorese Government. A peacekeeping operation cannot take the place of a long-term development programme.
UNTAET has benefited from significant assistance from the international community. The results achieved are considerable and deserve to be enthusiastically commended. However, as with any peacekeeping operation, it is useful to continuously assess the costs and the adequacy of the means available for success. The European Union will naturally continue to pay attention to this aspect.
I would now like to mention on behalf of the European Union two points of particular concern to us and the entire Council. I refer to the activity of the militias and to the situation of the refugees in West Timor, which we are convinced could have very serious repercussions on the evolution of the political situation in East Timor and might place in jeopardy everything that the international community has achieved through UNTAET.
The European Union energetically condemns the activity of the militias in West Timor. It deplores in particular the cowardly murder on 6 September in Atambua of three UNHCR staff. The European Union urges the Indonesian authorities to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of that aggression and to put an end to the destabilizing activity of the militias. The Union also calls upon them to guarantee the security of the refugees and of the humanitarian personnel in West Timor so that they may soon
resume their work. In short, the European Union calls upon Indonesia to fully implement resolution 1319 (2000), adopted on 8 September.
The Union takes note of the initial steps taken by the Indonesian Government with a view to disarming and disbanding the militias. The European Union hopes that this action will continue and that steps will be taken to make sure that the disarmed militia members do not find any way of rearming.
The European Union recalls the urgent need to settle at the earliest possible opportunity the question of refugees in West Timor. Resuming humanitarian assistance in West Timor and resettling the refugees are essential prerequisites for lasting peace and stability. The Union is prepared, along with the international humanitarian organizations concerned to help the Indonesian Government resolve the problem of refugees in West Timor.
The Union would like to know what measures are planned by Indonesia, UNTAET and the UNHCR to bring about the return of refugees to East Timor or their resettlement in Indonesia. In this context, the European Union invites the Indonesian Government to confirm that it agrees to the forthcoming visit of a Security Council mission to accompany efforts at the national level to implement resolution 1319 (2000).
The transitional period in East Timor is at a crucial juncture. The United Nations mission must, with the East Timorese, pursue the construction of a new democratic, independent State, fully integrated within the region and living in peace with all its neighbours.
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