Strong commitment behind NZ response to E. Timor crisis

By Simon Upton

AUCKLAND, New Zealand: New Zealand's response to the severe humanitarian crisis unfolding in East Timor is a reflection both of our strategic interests in regional stability and of our long- standing commitment to the United Nations' peacekeeping role.

New Zealanders have a long history of helping the UN respond to crises around the world, and clearly when such a crisis occurs in our neighborhood, our contribution is going to be that much greater. That is why New Zealand's Defence Force commitment to East Timor is our largest overseas deployment since World War II.

New Zealand's association with UN peacekeeping reflects our long-standing conviction that as a small country we have to rely on collective security measures and the upholding of international law to protect ourselves and our global interests. In exchange, we play the part of being a good international citizen by contributing to these collective processes.

As part of the role, New Zealand has been involved in UN operations since the early 1950s when the term "peacekeeping" first became current. Sometimes these commitments occur where we do not appear to have any direct strategic interest. Excluding our contribution in East Timor, at present we have about 130 peacekeepers serving in 14 operations worldwide, ranging from Mozambique to Kosovo, and Lebanon to Bougainville.

East Timor, however, is in our neighborhood. The nature and speed of New Zealand's response recognized that, like the situation in Bougainville, we are dealing with a sub-regional issue where we have a very real interest in peace and stability. It also reflects the fact that the political situation and human rights of the East Timorese people have been matters of concern for many New Zealanders for a long time.

New Zealand has been a firm supporter of the UN process aiming to resolve East Timor's future. The breakthrough came earlier this year when President B.J. Habibie overturned a longstanding policy and said Indonesia would consider independence for East Timor if an autonomy proposal was not accepted.

New Zealand gave practical support to the UN civilian operation organizing that ballot, but the tragic events that have since unfolded required a response of a different order. The priority became one of setting up a large international force to establish security and to facilitate humanitarian relief as quickly and effectively as possible. No nation could do it alone, and few had the ability to deploy resources in the timeframes and numbers required. New Zealand was one of the few.

Internationally, there has been an expectation that, like Australia, New Zealand would play its part in assisting East Timor's transition, because of our long-term interest in peace and stability in our part of the world, and our geographical proximity as a developed neighbor.

That has been the case as we address the collapse of order and the humanitarian crisis which Indonesia allowed to happen after the Aug. 30 ballot. Let there be no mistake. Under the Tri- partite Agreements of May 5 which made the ballot possible, Indonesia, at its insistence, formally undertook to ensure security both prior to, and after, the ballot. It failed in this undertaking, and elements of its security forces are directly responsible for what happened and should be held accountable.

The UN Secretary-General has initiated an international inquiry into human rights abuses in East Timor and we hope Indonesia will cooperate with it through its own National Human Rights Commission.

A lasting solution in East Timor is in New Zealand's interest, because it will underpin stability in the Indonesian archipelago. Ever since the invasion in 1975, East Timor has bedeviled Indonesia's external policies and drained its internal resources. Despite pouring in billions of rupiah, Indonesia's policies and approach failed to win the hearts and minds of the East Timorese people, as the Aug. 30 ballot so decisively showed.

Settlement of the East Timor issue will free up resources, allowing Indonesia to address the myriad problems it faces as it continues the delicate process of political reform and responds to the economic crisis that saw it suffer the greatest economic reversal of fortunes of any country in the post-World War II period.

Indonesia is an important regional partner and has been a moderate and influential voice in many forums of interest to New Zealand: the UN, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the World Trade Organization and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It also has a justifiably proud history of constructive leadership in a range of other multilateral settings.

It is of global importance that the world's fourth most populous country successfully makes the transition to a stable and cohesive democracy. The world cannot afford to have such an important regional and international player hamstrung by the issue of East Timor. And the East Timorese deserve to have the independence they voted for in such overwhelming numbers.

The writer is the New Zealand Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs. The article was made available to a few newspapers including The Jakarta Post by the New Zealand embassy.