Dili welcomes extended UN mission

Dili welcomes extended UN mission

EAST TIMOR: East Timorese officials welcomed on Thursday a proposal by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to extend the UN support mission in the new nation for one more year.

"The president welcomes and fully supports the recommendations of the secretary-general," said Agio Periera, chief of staff to President Xanana Gusmao.

He said preparing for the UN's eventual departure was "a challenge for the Timorese nation as a whole. We will look ahead with the same positive attitude that we have shown in recent years."

Annan presented his report on Wednesday to the UN Security Council, which was expected to vote on it on Friday.

He proposed a one-year extension for the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) after its current mandate expires on May 20, but with a big cut in the current number of peacekeeping troops and support staff.

The UN took over the running of the country in 1999 after the departure of Indonesian troops and their local militia proxies, who left much of the former Indonesian province in ruins.

East Timor became independent on May 20, 2002, but a UN mission stayed on to help Asia's poorest nation through its early years. -- AFP