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