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)