Dili calls for extended UN presence

Dili calls for extended UN presence

EAST TIMOR: East Timor called on the United Nations on Monday to extend its mandate in the country as the leader of a UN team arrived to assess whether the tiny nation was strong enough to go it alone.

The United Nations has been helping East Timor since its people voted for independence from Indonesian rule in 1999. On May 20, the UN mandate expires and most of its staff, along with hundreds of foreign peacekeepers, are scheduled to leave.

"Certainly we still need a UN presence after May 20," said government spokesman Gregorio de Sousa.

Last month, Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta told The Associated Press that the country would need help strengthening its defense forces so the government could provide stability and security.

On Monday, the country's influential Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo said international troops were still needed.

"We need a small UN peacekeepers platoon ... to safeguard our border from former militia," said Belo, who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize along with Ramos-Horta for his nonviolent resistance to the Indonesian occupation. -- AP