UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL
Statement by H.E. Mr John Dauth LVO Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
The Situation In East Timor
New York 20 May 2002
Mr President
It is with a great sense of pride and shared accomplishment that I address the Security Council on the occasion of East Timor's assumption of independence. Today is a historic moment for the people of East Timor, but also for this Council, for the United Nations and for all of its members.
I offer Australia's heart-felt congratulations to the people of East Timor as they become citizens of their new nation today. Their courage, determination and commitment to the transition process has laid the basis for a stable and democratic nation.
It is just over three years since the United Nations, Indonesia and Portugal signed the 5 May Agreements which established the process of popular consultation on East Timor's future, and only two years and nine months since the ballot on 30 August 1999 at which the people of East Timor chose to become independent. In this very short space of time the people of East Timor, the United Nations and the international community have worked in close partnership to achieve the remarkable feat of establishing, from the ground up, a stable democratic government and administration which is now ready to take on the responsibilities of independence.
This has been a major undertaking for all players, and particularly for the United Nations. I need not remind anyone here today of the extent of the challenges that faced the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) when it was established in October 1999. The fact that UNTAET can hand over authority to an independent East Timorese only two and a half years later shows what the UN and the Security Council are capable of achieving with the right mix of political will and flexible and creative decision making, on the basis of sustained international support.
The unique challenges of the East Timor transition have also provided an opportunity for the UN organisation, its Member States and the Security Council to put into practice new approaches to peacekeeping and to post-conflict peacebuilding and reconstruction. Working in a transparent and consultative manner with major troop contributors, the Security Council provided INTERFET and UNTAET with clear, credible and achievable mandates. It focused from an early stage on the need for a clear exit strategy, and on the need to manage and coordinate the UN's longer term involvement, including through its funds and agencies. This approach has continued with the recent adoption of a sensible and achievable mandate for the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET). For its part, the UN Secretariat has encouraged an integrated UN-wide approach to the transition process. It has premised all of UNTAET's activities on the need for sustained capacity building as the basis for the gradual transfer of authority to the East Timorese.
Australia has been proud to contribute to this UN success story in a wide variety of ways, from our leadership of INTERFET in 1999 to our long-term financial commitment to East Timor's reconstruction and development, including through the signature today of the Timor Sea Treaty that will guarantee substantial long-term oil and gas revenues for East Timor. Our national role has, however, extended well beyond government-level contributions. Hundreds of Australians have contributed to East Timor's transition both as members of UNAMET and UNTAET and through non-government and volunteer activities, through the private sector and as UN volunteers.
The personal relationships and understanding which emerge from such contributions will be invaluable to Australia's relationship with East Timor. The personal contacts made with the people of East Timor will underpin a warm, cooperative bilateral relationship with our newest neighbour from the first day of its independence.
Mr President
In the space of three years, the Security Council and the United Nations has overseen a historical transition in East Timor. Today is a day of celebration and success. But the story is by no means over. All of us need to maintain our commitment to ensuring that the promising beginnings of this new nation are developed and, sustained. We all have an interest in a stable and prosperous East Timor that can make a positive contribution to its region and play a constructive role as a member of the international community. Our efforts must not end here. Security Council support must be maintained as long as UNMISET is in East Timor, the broader contributions of the UN funds and agencies and other organisations must be brought on stream as they are needed. Individual bilateral donors as well as multilateral bodies must continue to accord East Timor high priority. We all owe it to the people of East Timor and to the United Nations to ensure that the success story continues.
Mr President
In closing I would like, once again, to acknowledge with Australia's gratitude, the invaluable contribution of the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Sergio Vieira de Mello and his staff, both international and East Timorese, to East Timor's successful transition to independence. At the risk of omitting some important players from the UN, it is also timely to recall, and pay tribute to the unstinting efforts of Ambassador Jamsheed Marker, Francesc Vendrell, Ian Martin, Tamrat Samuel and others such as Carina Perelli and Hocine Medili who contributed in the difficult days of 1999 -a period when today's celebrations were a distant aspiration. I also acknowledge the leadership of Under Secretary General Guehenno and his predecessor Bernard Miyet and the tireless and dedicated efforts of Secretariat officials including Hedi Annabi, Joachim Hutter, Major General Tim Ford, Julian Harston and Ingrid Hayden.
Without the contributions of these, and many others, we would not be celebrating East Timor's independence today.