E. Timor needs UN support: Australia

SYDNEY (Reuters): Australia said on Tuesday it was too early to talk of sending a UN peacekeeping force to East Timor, but added that a more general UN-sanctioned force comprising civilians and police may be required.

"It's too early to be talking about Australian troops, far too early," Prime Minister John Howard said.

"We want to help, and we'll help in the most appropriate way possible, but it's premature to be talking about peacekeeping forces at this time," Howard said on Melbourne radio.

An Australian newspaper on Tuesday reported that Australia was likely to be part of a 2,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in East Timor in 2000, but it gave no sources for the story.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Monday there was no support for a Cambodia-style United Nations peacekeeping force, which included Australian troops, in East Timor.

But Downer said there would almost certainly be a need for a UN administrative presence, which would involve Australians, in East Timor from an early stage in its transition.

He said if East Timor opted for independence from Indonesia a more realistic Australian involvement would see "some police presence alongside the East Timorese police".

"I did not talk about sending troops," Downer said on Tuesday, referring to his speech on Australia and East Timor on Monday night and the newspaper report.

"What I talked about was the possibility of the UN putting together administrators, technical assistance and possibly some assistance with policing operations in East Timor, particularly after the transition to independence, should there be a transition to independence."

Indonesia entered East Timor in 1975 after former colonial master Portugal abandoned it. Jakarta integrated it the following year. For the past 23 years there has been a guerrilla resistance war against Jakarta's rule.

In January, President B.J. Habibie reversed Jakarta's opposition to East Timor breaking away, saying he would offer it autonomy or independence.

Autonomy will give the East Timorese internal political control, leaving defense and foreign relations to Jakarta.

On Monday, Downer said Habibie had told him that he wanted the question of East Timor autonomy settled before national elections in June and a final solution by Jan. 1, 2000.

He said East Timor's transition must be peaceful and orderly, but that security in the province's transition was a matter for East Timor and Indonesia, not the international community.

But Downer said the United Nations would play an essential administrative role in East Timor for a number of years if the province opted for independence.

"It is necessary to enable East Timorese to work out in the end what sort of country they want," he said.

Also on Tuesday, AFP quoted opposition foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton as saying Downer was being naive and complacent by rejecting calls for a peacekeeping force.

"Downer has had absolutely nothing at all to say about disarming the paramilitary groups," he told ABC radio. "These are the people who are killing East Timorese on a daily basis.

"We need a peacekeeping force there and we need it now, not after East Timor decides what's going to happen but to aid them in making that decision."

Meanwhile, Antara quoted East Timor Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares as calling on residents to halt or cancel any plans for exodus. He urged them to disregard circulating rumors that a power blackout would take place and people would be kidnapped.

He appealed to teachers not to leave their posts, and threatened repercussions against those who abandoned their duties.

Teachers and paramedics, many of whom were not native East Timorese, were among groups who have been intimidated by the tensions between prointegration and proindependence East Timorese. Transmigrants from Bali are among those who have been making preparations to leave the province.