Subject: UN: SC Establishes Mission in E Timor to
Conduct Aug 8 Consulatation
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 10:50:32 -0400
From: "John M. Miller" <fbp@igc.apc.org>11 June 1999
Press Release SC/6689
SECURITY COUNCIL ESTABLISHES MISSION IN EAST TIMOR TO CONDUCT 8 AUGUST 'POPULAR
CONSULTATION' ON TERRITORY'S STATUS
19990611
Adopts Resolution 1246 (1999) Unanimously; Ballot to Decide on Special Autonomy or
Separation from Indonesia
The Security Council this afternoon decided to establish the United Nations Mission in
East Timor (UNAMET) to organize and conduct a popular consultation, scheduled for 8
August, to determine the Territory's future status, in keeping with the Agreement between
Indonesia and Portugal of 5 May, and the Agreements between the United Nations and the two
Governments.
Adopting resolution 1246 (1999) unanimously, the Council established UNAMET until 31
August and approved the modalities for the consultation, which will ascertain, on the
basis of a direct, secret and universal ballot, whether the East Timorese people accept
the proposed constitutional framework providing for a special autonomy for East Timor
within the unitary Republic of Indonesia, or reject the proposed special autonomy, leading
to East Timor's separation from Indonesia.
Welcoming the Secretary-General's intention to conclude a status-of- mission agreement
with the Government of Indonesia as soon as possible and urging the early conclusion of
negotiations for a timely deployment of UNAMET, the Council endorsed the
Secretary-General's proposal that UNAMET be comprised of political, electoral and
information components. The Council also authorized the deployment within UNAMET of up to
280 civilian police officers to act as advisers to the Indonesian Police in the discharge
of their duties, and 50 military liaison officers to maintain contact with the Indonesian
Armed Forces.
By the resolution, the Council stressed again the responsibility of the Government of
Indonesia to maintain peace and security in East Timor to insure the integrity of the
consultation and the security of international staff and observers. The Council welcomed,
in that regard, the decision by the Government of Indonesia to establish a ministerial
team to monitor the popular consultation.
Condemning all acts of violence from whatever quarter and calling for an end to such
acts, the Council urged that every effort be made to make the Commission on Peace and
Stability operative, stressing in particular the need for the Indonesian authorities to
provide protection for members of the Commission in cooperation with UNAMET. The
Commission, established on 21 April by representatives of the pro-independence and
pro-integration sides, but not yet operational, has been entrusted with elaborating a code
of conduct for all parties during the consultation process, ensuring the laying down of
arms and disarmament.
The meeting, which began at 12:14 p.m., was adjourned at 12:17 p.m.
Resolution
The full text of Security Council resolution 1246 (1999) reads as follows:
"The Security Council,
"Recalling its previous resolutions on the situation in East Timor, in particular
resolution 1236 (1999) of 7 May 1999,
"Recalling the Agreement between Indonesia and Portugal on the question of East
Timor of 5 May 1999 (the General Agreement) and the Agreements between the United Nations
and the Governments of Indonesia and Portugal of the same date regarding the modalities
for the popular consultation of the East Timorese through a direct ballot and regarding
security arrangements (the Security Agreement) (S/1999/513, annexes I-III),
"Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General on the Question of East Timor of 22
May 1999 (S/1999/595),
"Noting with concern the assessment of the Secretary-General contained in that
report that the security situation in East Timor remains "extremely tense and
volatile",
"Taking note of the pressing need for reconciliation between the various competing
factions within East Timor,
"Welcoming the fruitful cooperation of the Government of Indonesia and the local
authorities in East Timor with the United Nations,
"Taking note of the letter from the Permanent Representative of Portugal to the
United Nations to the President of the Security Council of 7 June 1999 (S/1999/652),
"Welcoming the conclusion of consultations between the Government of Indonesia and
the United Nations on the deployment of military liaison officers within the mission
established by this resolution,
"Bearing in mind the sustained efforts of the Governments of Indonesia and
Portugal since July 1983, through the good offices of the Secretary- General, to find a
just, comprehensive and internationally acceptable solution to the question of East Timor,
"Welcoming the appointment of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General
for the East Timor Popular Consultation, and reiterating its support for the efforts of
the Personal Representative of the Secretary- General for East Timor,
"1. Decides to establish until 31 August 1999 the United Nations Mission in East
Timor (UNAMET) to organize and conduct a popular consultation, scheduled for 8 August
1999, on the basis of a direct, secret and universal ballot, in order to ascertain whether
the East Timorese people accept the proposed constitutional framework providing for a
special autonomy for East Timor within the unitary Republic of Indonesia or reject the
proposed special autonomy for East Timor, leading to East Timor's separation from
Indonesia, in accordance with the General Agreement and to enable the Secretary-General to
discharge his responsibility under paragraph 3 of the Security Agreement;
"2. Authorizes until 31 August 1999 the deployment within UNAMET of up to 280
civilian police officers to act as advisers to the Indonesian Police in the discharge of
their duties and, at the time of the consultation, to supervise the escort of ballot
papers and boxes to and from the polling sites;
"3. Authorizes until 31 August 1999 the deployment within UNAMET of 50 military
liaison officers to maintain contact with the Indonesian Armed Forces in order to allow
the Secretary-General to discharge his responsibilities under the General Agreement and
the Security Agreement;
"4. Endorses the Secretary-General's proposal that UNAMET should also incorporate
the following components:
(a) a political component responsible for monitoring the fairness of the political
environment, for ensuring the freedom of all political and other non-governmental
organizations to carry out their activities freely and for monitoring and advising the
Special Representative on all matters with political implications,
(b) an electoral component responsible for all activities related to registration and
voting,
(c) an information component responsible for explaining to the East Timorese people, in
an objective and impartial manner without prejudice to any position or outcome, the terms
of the General Agreement and the proposed autonomy framework, for providing information on
the process and procedure of the vote and for explaining the implications of a vote in
favour or against the proposal;
"5. Notes the intention of the Governments of Indonesia and Portugal to send an
equal number of representatives to observe all the operational phases of the consultation
process both inside and outside East Timor;
"6. Welcomes the intention of the Secretary-General to conclude with the
Government of Indonesia, as soon as possible, a status-of-mission agreement and urges the
early conclusion of negotiations with a view to the full and timely deployment of UNAMET;
"7. Calls upon all parties to cooperate with UNAMET in the implementation of its
mandate, and to ensure the security and freedom of movement of its staff in carrying out
that mandate in all areas of East Timor;
"8. Approves the modalities for the implementation of the popular consultation
process scheduled for 8 August 1999 as set out in paragraphs 15 to 18 of the report of the
Secretary-General of 22 May 1999;
"9. Stresses once again the responsibility of the Government of Indonesia to
maintain peace and security in East Timor, in particular in the present security situation
referred to in the report of the Secretary-General, in order to ensure that the
consultation is carried out in a fair and peaceful way and in an atmosphere free of
intimidation, violence or interference from any side and to ensure the safety and security
of United Nations and other international staff and observers in East Timor;
"10. Welcomes in this regard the decision taken by the Government of Indonesia to
establish a ministerial team to monitor and ensure the security of the popular
consultation in accordance with Article 3 of the General Agreement and paragraph 1 of the
Security Agreement;
"11. Condemns all acts of violence from whatever quarter and calls for an end to
such acts and the laying down of arms by all armed groups in East Timor, for the necessary
steps to achieve disarmament and for further steps in order to ensure a secure environment
devoid of violence or other forms of intimidation, which is a prerequisite for the holding
of a free and fair ballot in East Timor;
"12. Requests all parties to ensure that conditions exist for the comprehensive
implementation of the popular consultation, with the full participation of the East
Timorese people;
"13. Urges that every effort be made to make the Commission on Peace and Stability
operative, and in particular stresses the need for the Indonesian authorities to provide
security and personal protection for members of the Commission in cooperation with UNAMET;
"14. Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to keep the Security Council
closely informed of the situation, and to continue to report to it every fourteen days on
the implementation of its resolutions and of the Tripartite Agreements and on the security
situation in East Timor;
"15. Decides to remain seized of the matter."
Council Work Programme
When the Council met this afternoon to take up the question of East Timor, it had
before it a report of the Secretary-General (document S/1999/595), in which he proposes
the establishment of the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET). The mission will
be charged with organizing and conducting a popular consultation to ascertain whether the
East Timorese people accept or reject the proposed constitutional framework providing for
a special autonomy for East Timor within Indonesia.
The report contains a detailed description of the consultation process to be conducted
by the United Nations, as well as recommendations on the mandate, size, structure and
budget of the Mission. Other issues addressed include the security situation, the
Commission on Peace and Stability and security measures.
According to the report, the Secretary-General dispatched an assessment team to East
Timor from 4 to 15 May to: evaluate the political and security situation on the ground;
discuss with the Indonesian authorities the facilities available in Dili and elsewhere for
the establishment of the mission; and obtain the necessary information to enable the
Secretariat to draw up a detailed operational plan for the consultation. There was a very
tight time-frame for the operation, resulting from the decision by the parties to set 8
August as the date for the ballot.
Three essential conditions must be met for UNAMET to be effective, states the report.
First, it must at all times have the full confidence and backing of the Security Council.
Second, it must function with the full cooperation of the Indonesian authorities. Third,
it must have the resources necessary to carry out its tasks. Also, UNAMET must enjoy the
privileges and immunities, freedom of movement and communication and other facilities
necessary for it to perform its tasks. In that regard, a status-of-mission agreement will
be concluded with the Indonesian Government as soon as possible.
Further, UNAMET will carry out its tasks objectively and impartially, the report
states. Its personnel will neither seek nor accept instructions from any source external
to the United Nations. While Jamsheed Marker will continue to serve as the
Secretary-General's Personal Representative for East Timor, Ian Martin has been appointed
as the Secretary-General's Special Representative for the East Timor Popular Consultation
and as Head of UNAMET.
The report goes on to say that the Mission will include political, electoral, civilian
police, information and administrative/financial components, the heads of which will
report to the Special Representative. Human rights will be integrated in different aspects
of the Mission's components. In addition, the Mission will include a small component to
monitor humanitarian developments in the Territory and advise the Special Representative
on humanitarian issues.
The report also states that, at full deployment, UNAMET will have 241 international
staff members and 420 United Nations Volunteers, up to 280 civilian police, as well as
some 4,000 local staff. The deployment of UNAMET will begin with the establishment of a
headquarters in Dili, to be followed by seven regional centres, with a possible further
expansion at the subregional level.
According to the report, to monitor the overall implementation of the three Agreements
concluded on 5 May in New York, UNAMET will include a political component, which will be
responsible for monitoring the fairness of the political environment and ensuring the
freedom of all political and other non-governmental organizations to carry out their
activities peacefully. It will monitor and advise the Special Representative on all
matters that have political implications for the effective holding of the popular
consultation.
The electoral component will be responsible for all activities related to registration
and voting, states the report. The external polling will be conducted on behalf of the
United Nations by the Australian Election Commission and the International Organization
for Migration (IOM). That will be coordinated through the IOM field coordinator, the
Electoral Assistance Division of the United Nations Secretariat and the electoral
component based in Dili. The Secretary-General will appoint three international experts to
serve as members of the Electoral Commission -- an independent body with final
decision-making authority, which will be responsible for the overall assessment of the
consultation process and for hearing any complaints, challenges or disputes.
The report states that a budget comprising total costs for UNAMET, except those
associated with the civilian police component, has been submitted to the General Assembly,
and cost estimates for the civilian police and possible military liaison component will be
submitted shortly. The Secretary-
General has established a Trust Fund for East Timor, which has been utilized to cover
various expenses associated with the launching of the Mission.
The report goes on to say that every effort is being made to deploy the Mission as
rapidly as possible. The deployment will occur in phases and will inevitably be dependent
upon security conditions in the Territory and, given the logistical challenges and limited
infrastructure, on the timely availability of the necessary personnel and other resources.
It will also depend on the full cooperation of the Indonesian Government and the local
authorities in East Timor. Among the measures which the Indonesian authorities need to
take to ensure a free environment for the consultation is the bringing of armed civilian
groups under strict control and the prompt arrest and prosecution of those who incite or
threaten to use violence.
The Secretary-General hopes that all necessary steps will be taken to improve the
security conditions in East Timor, so that the consultation process can move forward in a
secure and peaceful atmosphere. With continued close and effective cooperation between the
Indonesian authorities and the United Nations, the security situation ought to improve to
allow for a peaceful and secure consultation process. To that end, he recommends that
every effort be made to make the Commission on Peace and Stability operative.
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