UNITED24 - Make a charitable donation in support of Ukraine!

Military

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS
NEW YORK

Monday, September 13, 1999


ALATAS HEADS TO NY TO DISCUSS EAST TIMOR FORCE WITH ANNAN
  • The Secretary-General has welcomed the decision of the Indonesian Government to accept the offer of the international community to assist it in restoring peace and security in East Timor. Foreign Minister Ali Alatas is arriving in New York today and will meet with the Secretary-General at 3:30 p.m. at UN Headquarters.
  • The Secretary-General today reviewed the situation in East Timor with the five permanent members of the Security Council, which will hold consultations at 4:30 p.m. It will hear the report of the Council mission that went to Jakarta and Dili last week. The Council mission is returning to New York today.


"HUMANITARIAN SITUATION BECOMING INCREASINGLY DRAMATIC"
  • In Dili, while the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) reported another quiet day, the humanitarian crisis is becoming increasingly dramatic. UNAMET went around Dili today and recorded between 5,000 and 8,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). The heliport has been ransacked, hotels have been burned down, the UNAMET transport workshop has been burned with most vehicles destroyed, and the warehouse of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Bishop Belo's compound have been burned to the ground.
  • Initial estimates are that 70 to 80 percent of Dili's business area has been destroyed, and 50 percent of all homes have been burned.
  • In a statement today issued by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Sadako Ogata, she said, "We are in a race against time to help save the lives of tens of thousands or perhaps even more terrified people affected by weeks of wanton violence and forcible displacement."
  • Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator Ross Mountain, who the Secretary-General just appointed as the Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for the East Timor crisis is in Jakarta and will be working with other humanitarian actors on the assistance and protection of IDPs.
  • An inter-agency team is currently being assembled in Jakarta. Kevin Kennedy from the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is now in Dili negotiating with the Indonesian military authorities visits to IDP locations to assess their needs.
  • Three hundred thousand daily food rations have been stockpiled in Darwin, Australia. The World Food Programme (WFP) and UNHCR are currently moving more food and shelter items to the region.


UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF CALLS FOR COMMISSION OF INQUIRY
  • In Jakarta, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, recommended today the establishment of an international commission of inquiry as a step towards "establishing accountability for the grave violations" committed in East Timor. She was speaking after meeting Indonesian President Habibie at the end of a two-day visit to assess first-hand the human rights situation in East Timor.
  • In his statement on Sunday morning, the Secretary-General called on the Indonesian authorities to do their utmost to maintain order and security in East Timor until the arrival of such international force. He said he was confident that through this cooperation between the Government of Indonesia and the United Nations the desire of the East Timorese people to become independent would be realized.
  • On Saturday, the Security Council mission visited Dili. The mission went to two internally displaced camps and saw the very poor conditions of the IDPs. They also attended a briefing at the Indonesian Military headquarters and following this, they visited the UNAMET compound, where they were briefed by the Secretary-General's Special Representative in East Timor, Ian Martin and other UNAMET senior officials. During the humanitarian briefing they heard a description of forced relocation in which IDPs were taken first to police stations and then trucked and shipped out of the Territory. They were also told that the IDPs in Falintil cantonment sites in Dare and in the hills and forests were rapidly running out of food.
  • While at the UNAMET compound, the Security Council mission also met with IDPs who sought refuge in the compound. They now number about 1,300.
  • During their stay in Dili, the mission's members were able to see destruction everywhere they went. Few buildings, except for some government structures, were intact. "The city is virtually deserted and all its shops looted," the spokesman said.
  • In New York on Saturday, the Security Council held a public meeting on East Timor. Fifty-two speakers took the floor. Opening the debate, the Secretary-General described the conditions in which the East Timorese popular consultation process evolved, the recent wave of violence, death and destruction, and his efforts in search of a solution. The Secretary-General reiterated that "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."


HABIBIE TO ANNAN: "NO CONDITIONS" ON FORCE COMPOSITION
  • A correspondent asked about the question of non-Asian countries contributing to the force. The spokesman replied that President Habibie had told the Secretary-General, in the presence of the Foreign Minister, that there would be no conditions. The Secretary-General had said this morning that it would be up to the United Nations and the Security Council to decide the composition of the force.
  • Asked whether the host country had some say on composition, the spokesman said "In theory, no. In practice, there is usually some consultation with the host country but we have our own guidelines on who would be an appropriate troop contributor and who would not be. We've been doing this for a long time."
  • Asked whether he anticipated problems on this issue, the Secretary-General said, "I don't know what to anticipate - President Habibie did not have any of the details or did not want to discuss any of the details with the Secretary-General over the phone. He said that the Foreign Minister would be coming here to do that so we don't know what will be on the Foreign Minister's agenda and we're hoping that there will be no obstacles - I think that everyone wants to see quick deployment of the force."
  • In response to another question on the composition of the force, the spokesman said there would be a substantial number of Asian countries but it won't be exclusively an Asian force.
  • In response to a question about the type of force to be deployed, the spokesman said, "There is a strong preference, including on the part of the Secretariat, for a multinational force because it is simpler and quicker." He noted that the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Portugal and Australia would all be in New York. It was hoped that a tripartite meeting with the Secretary-General might be held by the end of the day.
  • Describing the difference between a peacekeeping and multinational force and how they would work, the spokesman said a peacekeeping force would be recruited by the United Nations -- the military leadership would be appointed by the United Nations and the logistical support -- transport, housing, food, all the rest -- would be supplied by the United Nations, and the cost would be divided among the Organization's 185 (soon to be 188) Member States. For a multinational force, the Council authorizes a group of nations, and usually specifies the lead nations to organize a force and carry it out. The logistics then are handled by the lead nation and the costs are borne by the contributing countries. "So you can see that the second option is simpler and quicker," he said.


"WE MIGHT SEE A DRAFT RESOLUTION BY LATE TONIGHT"
  • In response to another question, the spokesman said he thought that "if some governments could have their way we might see a draft resolution by late tonight, but again we don't know what the outcome of these various meetings that are scheduled for today will be and whether some unforeseen issues could be raised that could slow up the process." He added that the soonest it could happen would be tonight.
  • Asked whether the Secretary-General would ask that the Indonesian troops withdraw and turn over as soon as possible to the multinational force, the spokesman said, "President Habibie has said come in and assist us and our assumption is that we would be working with the Indonesians to get the militias under control."
  • In response to a question about the refugees in the compound, the spokesman said there are 1,300 of them as of today and there is for the moment at least adequate food, water and sanitary and health conditions. There were several doctors in the compound. "So everything is okay for the short term but we are concerned about our ability to provide for them over the longer term."
  • A correspondent asked how there could be coordination with forces that were "leading the killings." The spokesman stressed that coordination was essential when there were two military forces on the ground. "The multinational forces going in with a mandate has not as yet been specified by the Security Council but I assume it will be to restore security and law and order to East Timor in cooperation with the Indonesian military," he said, adding, "It's a job they will have to do together."
  • A correspondent asked how long after a multinational force went in before the UNAMET staff could return. The spokesman replied that it was hoped that people could be rotated back as soon as possible, particularly the humanitarian workers, because "the fresh concern now is the condition of people camped out in Dili, living up in the hills, driven into exile in West Timor."
  • Asked how long would take between the Security Council resolution and the sending of troops, the spokesman replied, "I think that we are talking about days rather than weeks."
  • In response to another question, the spokesman noted 33 Member States were part of a contact group on East Timor meeting with Secretariat officials. The contingency planning for this force has thus been going on for a long time, involving a number of countries and the Secretariat.


SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS WESTERN SAHARA MISSION
  • This morning, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara through mid-December.
  • This is intended to allow time for the Mission to complete the identification of voters, implement confidence-building measures and conclude all outstanding agreements needed to implement the Settlement Plan. It will also allow for the continuation of the appeals process.
  • This afternoon, the Council will meet at 4:30 on East Timor.

 



NEWSLETTER
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list