UN to send 5,000 personnel to East Timor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations plans to deploy nearly 5,000
\npersonnel, including 280 civilian police officers, for its
\noperations in organizing the August ballot in East Timor.<\/p>\n
Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented to the Security Council
\non Monday a plan to establish the United Nations Mission in East
\nTimor (UNAMET) which will organize and conduct the \"popular
\nconsultation\", as the vote is officially called.<\/p>\n
In the ballot, scheduled for Aug. 8, East Timorese will be
\nasked whether they accept the Indonesian government's offer to
\nremain part of the republic with wide-ranging autonomy powers. A
\nrejection will set off the process of separation.<\/p>\n
Annan's report, a copy of which was made available in Jakarta
\non Tuesday, said the UN deployment will include 241 international
\nstaff members and 420 UN volunteers, up to 280 civilian police,
\nand some 4,000 local staff.<\/p>\n
Annan confirmed the appointment of Britain's Ian Martin as
\nhead of UNAMET and special representative for the East Timor
\nPopular Consultation. Jamsheed Marker will continue to serve as
\nhis personal representative to East Timor. UNAMET will be
\nheadquartered in Dili and will have seven regional centers.<\/p>\n
The UN police would act as advisers to the Indonesian police
\nin discharging their duties, including supervising the escort of
\nballot papers and boxes to and from polling sites.<\/p>\n
The report left out the issue of disarming the proindependence
\nand prointegration factions, which the United Nations has
\ninsisted is the responsibility of the Indonesian Military.<\/p>\n
Annan said the Indonesian Military has failed to maintain
\npeace in East Timor, as violence between pro-Indonesian militias
\nand proindependence groups has threatened the prospects for
\npeaceful balloting.<\/p>\n
\"I regret to inform the Security Council that credible reports
\ncontinue to be received of political violence, including
\nintimidation and killings by armed militias against unarmed
\nproindependence civilians,\" Annan said.<\/p>\n
\"The situation in East Timor remains extremely tense and
\nvolatile,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The vote was originally set for Sunday Aug. 8, but Indonesia
\nhas proposed to move it one day forward to respect the Roman
\nCatholics who make up the majority of East Timorese.<\/p>\n
A UN spokesman was quoted by AFP as saying in New York that
\nthe Indonesian proposal was being looked at.<\/p>\n
In Dili, the Roman Catholic Church denied suggestions that it
\nhad asked the Indonesian government to bring forward the
\nelection, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
\"For us, holding the popular consultation on Sunday is not a
\nproblem because Christians will fulfill their prayers first in
\nthe morning before casting their ballots,\" Dili Bishop Carlos
\nFilipe Ximenes Belo was quoted as saying on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The mass schedules could be rearranged to facilitate both
\nprayers and voting, he said.<\/p>\n
\"If anyone claims to be speaking on behalf of the Church, then
\nthat is a big lie to serve certain political interests,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, six foreign diplomats met with jailed East Timor
\nrebel leader Jose Alexandre Xanana Gusmao in the latter's
\ndetention house in Central Jakarta on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Australian Ambassador John McCarthy said after the two-hour
\nmeeting that they had all agreed not to disclose the content of
\nthe meeting to reporters.<\/p>\n
The other five were from Britain, the Philippines, the United
\nStates, Germany and Japan.<\/p>\n
The six countries were chosen by President B.J. Habibie to
\ntake part in the UN mission to help organize the August ballot.<\/p>\n
Xanana's lawyer Hendardi of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human
\nRight Association said the meeting discussed solutions to East
\nTimor's problems. (01\/33\/emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/un-to-send-5000-personnel-to-east-timor-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}