Security Council delegation set to leave for Indonesia, East Timor
9 November - A delegation of the United Nations Security Council was set to leave for East Timor and Indonesia today to review the work of the UN mission in the newly independent territory and Jakarta's progress in disarming militia in West Timor.
The Council's decision to send a mission to the region came in the wake of the 6 September militia attacks that killed three UN aid workers in West Timor. Two days after the killings, the Council adopted a resolution insisting that the Indonesian Government immediately disband the militia in West Timor, restore law and order, ensure security in the refugee camps and prevent cross-border incursions into East Timor. After the vote, the Council President announced the decision to dispatch a mission to discuss the implementation of the resolution.
During their trip, the Council members will meet a number of senior Timorese and UN officials and have first-hand contact with UNTAET operations in Suai, in the border area with West Timor. The delegation will also visit West Timor's provincial capital of Kupang and Atambua, the town where the UNHCR workers were killed.
In Jakarta, the mission will meet with high-level Indonesian authorities, led by Vice-President Sukarnoputri Megawati. The delegation is not expected to meet with President Wahid because he will be out of the country.
The seven-member delegation is led by Ambassador Martin Andjaba of Namibia, and also includes representatives from Argentina, Malaysia, Tunisia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. The trip is in response to invitations by UNTAET chief Sergio Vieira de Mello and Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Alwi Shihab.
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