E. Timor seeks UN aid to fight terror

Sat, 16 Nov 2002, 00:00 WIB | Source: REUTERS

UNITED NATIONS: East Timor, citing last month's deadly Bali
bombing, pledged full support on Thursday for fighting terrorism
but said its fledgling security forces would need international
help for the time being.

The tiny Southeast Asian nation, which gained independence
just six months ago after nearly three years of UN
administration, "is fully committed to the global fight against
terrorism," its UN ambassador, Jose Luis Guterres, told the
Security Council.

But since East Timor's police and military are just now being
developed, international police and peacekeeping forces must
remain in place until the country "has the capacity to meet this
goal on its own," Guterres said.

Australia and other nations have cautioned travelers to steer
clear of the region since the Oct. 12 bombing in Bali, a
Southeast Asian neighbor. Nearly 200 people died in the attack,
most of them foreign tourists. --Reuters

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