UN to set up civil administration in E. Timor before MPR session
UN to set up civil administration in E. Timor before MPR session
UNITED NATIONS (AFP): Indonesia has agreed to let the United Nations set up a civil administration in East Timor before the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in Jakarta votes on formally rescinding its annexation of the territory, a senior UN official said late Tuesday.
Jamsheed Marker, special envoy for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said "the Assembly will be taking a decision but we cannot wait for it to do that. The Indonesians have agreed that we should start making preparations".
Marker was speaking after holding talks with Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and his Portuguese counterpart Jaime Gama.
Under a May 5 agreement with the UN covering the Aug. 30 ballot on self-determination in East Timor, Indonesia was to remain in charge of the territory until its legislature ratified the results of the vote.
Portugal was included in the talks, which were chaired by Annan, because it was the former colonial power in East Timor.
Marker said the talks took "due account of changes in the situation and the need to fill the vacuum in East Timor" created by the explosion of antiindependence violence in the territory.
The ministers agreed that "the United Nations will take up the slack to get civil society going again", he said.
"It will try to meet basic requirements starting with housing, then electricity, sanitation and power."
Alatas tried to insist that Indonesia remain formally in charge of the civilian administration, although he admitted that many civil servants had left.
"Phase Three will begin after the People's Consultative Assembly has confirmed or ratified the decision of the balloting. That will be in November," he said.
"The deputy governor has returned but we have to admit that many government officials have left, including teachers, doctors and judges."
The Australian-led multinational force "is de facto in charge of security", he said.
"We have handed it over to it and we have withdrawn martial law. On the civil side we are still in charge."
When pressed to state publicly that Indonesia was ready to hand over the territory earlier than foreseen in the May 5 agreement, Alatas testily replied: "Phase Three starts in November. Am I speaking Greek?"