Mr. President,
A week ago in this chamber I informed the Council that the people
of East Timor had voted overwhelmingly to reject an offer of autonomy
from the Indonesian government, and in favour of a transition towards
independence.
The conditions under which the Popular Consultation took place on
30 August were far from ideal. But the extremely large turnout, and
the judgement of the international observers and the Electoral
Commission, left no doubt as to the integrity and validity of the
ballot. The international community should therefore now be
proceeding, without any hesitation, to implement the result of the
ballot.
Unhappily, no sooner had the result of the ballot been announced
than East Timor began a descent into chaos.
The scale of the violence, death and destruction has been far
beyond what any international observers anticipated. As I said in my
press conference yesterday, what is happening in East Timor may well
fall into various categories of international crime. The individuals
who have ordered and carried out these crimes must be held
accountable.
During the last week, my colleagues and I have given the Council
regular and detailed briefings on these sad developments.
There has been an overwhelmning international public response to
the plight of the people of East Timor in their hour of darkness.
Members of the Council have been preoccupied with the crisis as have
my colleagues and I in the Secretariat.
In addition, I have been in constant telephone contact with many
heads of state and other world leaders from all parts of the globe. In
particular, I have spoken throughout the week to President Habibie in
Jakarta.
My goal has been to create conditions that would enable UNAMET to
carry out the mandate with which the Council has entrusted it. The
first such condition is the restoration of law and order, which under
the 5 May Agreements is the responsibility of the Government of
Indonesia.
The Council has dispatched it own mission to Indonesia to emphasize
directly to the leaders of that country at the highest levels the
urgency of the situation and the necessity for immediate action.
Despite all of our efforts, the security situation has steadily
deteriorated and the UN Mission in East Timor has been forced to close
all but one of its offices. Yesterday UNAMET relocated all
non-essential staff, including 280 UNAMET local staff and their
families, out of East Timor. Only 86 international personnel remain in
the headquarters compound in Dili.
Lawlessness and disorder have reigned in Dili this week despite a
significant presence of Indonesian police and military who are
unwilling or unable to control the situation.
As I said in a public statement yesterday, faced with this grave
situation the future of UNAMET’s presence in East Timor remains
under hourly review.
On Tuesday, Indonesia declared martial law in East Timor but
neither this nor the presence of extra troops has had the effect of
restoring order.
As you know, on Wednesday and Thursday UNAMET convoys were attacked
by armed militias, despite having an escort of Indonesian troops, and
yesterday, soldiers of the Indonesian army tasked with guarding the
compound joined the pro-integration militia who were terrorising those
inside.
Approximately 1,000 East Timorese have taken refuge in the United
Nations compound. The conditions under which they are being
accommodated are precarious.
The plight of these unfortunate innocent victims is but one aspect
of an unfolding humanitarian disaster in East Timor. The vast majority
of the population have been forcibly displaced.
With access to all of East Timor now denied to the international
community, we cannot be certain of the full dimensions of the
humanitarian crisis, or of the requirements for survival of the
population that has been uprooted. But it is clear that extremely
urgent action is required to provide for the basic needs of food,
water and health care.
Food is fast running out in the places of known concentration
inside East Timor. The problem of the bulk of the population, now
believed to have fled or been forcibly moved to West Timor, is equally
pressing.
I am glad to say that UNAMET reports the situation in Dili today as
being very quiet.
Earlier today the Security Council Mission visited East Timor to
see for themselves the conditions on the ground and the impediments
being faced by UNAMET and its courageous staff. I understand that they
were able to visit the whole city, and see for themselves the extent
of the destruction.
Like you, I look forward to receiving the full report of the
Council’s Mission within the next day or two.
But I believe it is worth remarking at this point that the ability
of the Indonesian armed forces to maintain calm in Dili during the
Mission’s visit further emphasizes their responsibility for the
security situation as a whole.
As I said yesterday, the time has come for Indonesia to seek the
help of the international community in fulfilling its responsibility
to bring order and security to the people of East Timor – which must
include guaranteeing the safety and protection of the civilian leaders
of the pro-independence camp.
Once again I urge Indonesia to agree without further delay to the
deployment of an international force.
The international community is asking for Indonesia’s consent to
the deployment of such a force. But I hope it is clear Mr. President
that it does so out of deference to Indonesia’s position as a
respected member of the community of states.
Regrettably, that position is now being placed in jeopardy by the
tragedy that has engulfed the people of East Timor.
I sincerely hope this open debate in the Council will contribute to
the ending of that tragedy. The meeting of the Council today
symbolizes the determination of its members, and that of the United
Nations membership as a whole, to fulfill their obligations under the
Charter.
Thank you.
Document compiled by Dr S D
Stein