Annan recommends against cuts to E. Timor mission<\/p>\n
Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press, United Nations<\/p>\n
Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday recommended against
\nreducing the United Nations mission in East Timor in its final
\nsix months, saying the new nation has not reached \"the critical
\nthreshold of self-sufficiency.\"<\/p>\n
In a report to the Security Council, Annan said that despite
\n\"notable advances,\" East Timor's administration -- especially its
\nfinancial, banking and judicial institutions -- \"remain weak and
\nfragile.\"<\/p>\n
He said UN civilian advisers who should by now be serving as
\nmentors are continuing to perform important jobs in key
\ninstitutions, UN civilian police advisers remain \"indispensable\"
\nin training the national police force, and UN troops are still
\nneeded to support security and stability.<\/p>\n
\"The capacity of the Timorese defense force continues to grow,
\nbut it remains hampered by a lack of experienced personnel,
\nappropriate training regimes and equipment, and by limited
\nlogistic capacity,\" Annan said.<\/p>\n
The Security Council voted in May to wind up the UN mission on
\nMay 20, 2005, and drastically scale back its size from more than
\n1,660 troops, 300 international police and 77 military observers.<\/p>\n
Annan recommended that the council keep the current levels
\nuntil the mission ends: 310 troops, a 125-member international
\nresponse unit, 42 military liaison officers, 157 civilian police
\nadvisers and 58 civilian advisers.<\/p>\n
He warned that any change of the composition or size could
\ncompromise its ability to carry out its responsibilities and
\ncomplete its work.<\/p>\n
The people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia
\nin 1999, unleashing a wave of violence by the Indonesian military
\nand its proxy militias that killed 1,500 Timorese, forced 300,000
\nfrom their homes, and destroyed much of the province.<\/p>\n
The United Nations administered the territory for 2 1\/2 years,
\nthen handed it to the Timorese on May 20, 2002.<\/p>\n
During its final six months, Annan said the UN mission would
\nneed to make sure that when it departed the country could
\ncontinue to function without suffering significantly.<\/p>\n
It needs to ensure that its responsibilities can be taken over
\nby the Timorese, with continued assistance from the United
\nNations and bilateral donors, he said.<\/p>\n
A donors conference for East Timor, originally scheduled for
\nJune, has been moved forward to March which Annan welcomed.<\/p>\n
While the overall security situation in East Timor remained
\n\"calm and peaceful\" during the last three months, Annan said
\nsmuggling and illegal trading along the border with Indonesia
\ncontinue and tensions from demonstrations by veterans groups and
\nviolent incidents between martial arts groups could escalate.<\/p>\n
The Sept. 9 suicide bombing of the Australian Embassy in
\nJakarta \"serves as yet another reminder that terrorist attacks
\nare a real threat within the region and that preventive measures
\nneed to be taken,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Annan expressed confidence that relations between East Timor
\nand Indonesia would further strengthen and he called on both
\ncountries \"to spare no efforts to solve their pending bilateral
\nissues, in particular the demarcation of their land border.\"<\/p>",
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