Annan expects first peacekeepers soon
Annan expects first peacekeepers soon
JAKARTA (JP): United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in New York on Tuesday that he hoped the first members of an international peacekeeping force could be in East Timor by the weekend at the latest.
With Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas stating at the UN that Indonesia was not setting conditions for the international force, Annan said the UN Security Council was moving ahead as quickly as possible for its preparation.
"It is possible to have some elements on the ground hopefully by the weekend at the latest," he said as quoted by Reuters at UN headquarters.
Annan said the Security Council would begin acting soon on a resolution to authorize the force.
He said he would have meetings with foreign ministers Alexander Downer of Australia and Jaime Gama of Portugal, and further talks with Alatas after they met on Monday.
"I think we made good progress and we are going to move ahead," Annan said.
AP quoted UN spokesman Fred Eckhard as saying that once the scheduled meetings with the foreign ministers were completed, the secretary-general hoped to work out all details of the deployment "in the next 24 hours or so".
AFP reported that draft resolution stipulates sending a multinational force for four months to East Timor with the power to use military force to carry out its tasks.
The draft did not specify how the large the force would be, but a spokesman for the British delegation said it would be between 5,000 and 7,000 men.
The resolution was drafted by British ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, one of five ambassadors who visited Indonesia on behalf of the Council last week.
The resolution explicitly says that the Council is "acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations" which authorizes UN-approved missions to use military force when necessary.
Alatas told reporters, Annan and Security Council members that Jakarta welcomed speedy deployment of a multinational force to help restore order and would set no preconditions regarding the nationality of the troops.
"We are putting no conditions so it is all up to the United Nations to prepare the composition," Alatas said. "We would like to see whatever force that is going to be decided by the UN take its place in East Timor as fast as possible."
Alatas flew to New York to discuss details of the force after President B.J. Habibie bowed to international pressure on Sunday and invited the UN to send troops to the territory.
East Timor was racked by violence following the Aug. 30 vote in which a majority of East Timorese rejected Indonesia's proposal for wide-ranging autonomy.
However, Alatas questioned whether Australia should command such an operation and said he would prefer peacekeepers from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Australia, he said, was not the only country in the world that could lead the force.
"But that's a preference, that's not a conditionality," he added.
UN sources said Alatas was "sensitive" about Australia, which has angered Indonesians because of its widespread protests over recent events in East Timor.
Alatas told reporters: "We did not come here to prevent any country from participating."
But in reference to Australia leading the force, he added: "Countries themselves (have) to consider what is appropriate, whether their presence would or would not exacerbate the situation rather than improve the situation."
He noted the Australian public was particularly incensed by the violence, protesting at Indonesian embassies and cutting off supplies from Jakarta.
The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Richard Holbrooke, said Washington would seek a Chapter 7 resolution that allows for the use of force. "We are going to seek a strong, Chapter 7 robust mandate for the force," he said.
"We don't want to have an UNPROFOR-type situation in East Timor," referring to UN peacekeepers during the Bosnian war who were prohibited from taking offensive action.
Habibie
President B.J. Habibie reaffirmed on Monday his pledge to allow UN peacekeepers into East Timor.
"He (Habibie) said there was no particular condition attached to it, and it is up to the United Nations to decide on the force," said Finnish Ambassador to Indonesia Hannu Himanen after meeting with the President at Merdeka Palace in a contingent of ambassadors from members of the European Union (EU).
"He assured us that as far as he is concerned, the force could be there (in East Timor) tomorrow."
The envoys told Habibie of the EU's readiness to provide about US$10 million in humanitarian aid to displaced persons in the territory if the government could guarantee access for the planned air drops.
"We hope it can happen tomorrow, but it has to be seen. We are very much concerned with the situation at the moment," Himanen said.
Separately, Minister of Home Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid said Annan should listen to concerns Indonesia has about the peacekeeping force, noting the strong domestic opposition to Australia's involvement.
"The input is important so the UN does not send troops who do not have strong affinity there, which otherwise may give rise to new conflicts," he said.
Speaking in New Zealand, U.S. President Bill Clinton dismissed on Tuesday Indonesia's reported objections to the presence of Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and the United States in the peacekeeping force. (prb)