YouSaid · the spoken record

Vieira De Mello

lines on the record: 513
first: 1999-01-21
most recent: 2003-07-22
sittings or episodes: 16
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“What is clear, however, is that international personnel will be needed well beyond independence to provide technical assistance, capacity-building and security. It is an inescapable fact that in a whole range of key high-skill fields it takes a long time to train personnel. Thus, East Timorese surgeons, of whom there is just one at present, will, like any other surgeons, take five to seven years to train. Many other of the skills required in a modern state also take many years to acquire. There can be no short cuts or quick- fix solutions.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“All thereafter is still relatively blank, with the canvas to be filled in by the East Timorese themselves on the back of this founding democratic act, though needless to say, in bringing down the curtain on resolution 1272 (1999) and its successor resolutions, consultations with the Council will indeed intensify. UNTAET, and not the Government of East Timor, will retain full responsibility for ensuring that the elections are fully free and fair, but what follows after - for example, whether there are presidential elections, or whether the Constituent Assembly converts itself into the first legislature of East Timor after independence - are not decisions for us to make, as they can be appropriately reached only by the East Timorese themselves.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Indeed, the political standing committee of the National Council has been holding hearings on the electoral timetable and framework, and there appears to be a consensus forming in favour of elections on 30 August, together with an electoral system combining both direct district representation and nationwide proportional representation. A final decision will be forthcoming soon after the National Council resumes its session on 12 February. These elections will be for a Constituent Assembly that will have as its core mandate the preparation of a constitution but that will, in all likelihood, also assume legislative functions for the remainder ofthe transition. The Assembly's deliberations will be informed by broad public consultations on the constitution, which UNTAET will facilitate and support but which will be conducted by East Timorese.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Many of the key tasks laid out in resolution 1272 (1999) now fall on the new governmental structures of East Timor to perform, rather than on UNTAET, as originally conceived. We cannot expect that Government to perform those tasks adequately on what I call a "cruel" annual budget of $59 million, without being able to tap into UNTAET's manifoldly larger resources. The final phase of transition is before us. Key decisions are about to be made regarding the details of the political steps which will lead to independence, in conformity with the general process I outlined to the Council here in November. I am sure that Jose' will have more to say on this, but what we do know is that there will be elections in mid-2001.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Nowhere is this truer than in financing. I am not going to belabour this point, as it is already well known, but suffice it to say that I am grateful to the Security Council mission for having noted this dilemma in its report last November and for urging greater flexibility in the way in which United Nations resources can be used. Likewise, I thank the Secretary-General for making this same observation in his latest report, and also the President of the General Assembly for his support in this regard. UNTAET is very much an innovative mission. It illustrates the general point that rules and procedures must adapt to the changing environment in which we are operating if the wishes of the Security Council are to be fulfilled.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Moreover, as we now have true separation of powers, there is no guarantee that the National Council and Cabinet will see eye to eye on all matters. Furthermore, the judicial sector - non-existent when UNTAET arrived - continues to face understandable but significant teething problems. Yet it is only through practical, and not just theoretical, preparation that the groundwork for self-government can truly be laid. This conceptual and structural shift in the manner in which UNTAET performs its mandate is the cornerstone of our efforts to implement resolution 1272 (1999). Another complexity we have faced, and one with which we have not always been able to deal as effectively as we would have liked, has been the systemic problem of needing to adapt traditional peacekeeping practices to modern, multifaceted governance missions.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Insofar as this mission has uniquely involved the creation of a new government, UNTAET should in fact no longer be seen as an international transitional administration, but rather as a support structure for the embryonic government of East Timor and other institutions of state. These institutions are still in development, but we should have no doubt that they exist. As I noted at the beginning of my statement, the presence here today of East Timor's Foreign Minister, as it were, serves as eloquent testimony to that reality. This does not always produce neat or easy results; Cabinet debates - for example, on the political parties regulation, which we adopted last week-are often protracted affairs requiring compromise solutions.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Our initial model for UNTAET-namely, to Timorize the bureaucracy but to leave the political transition until elections had been held-has thus evolved into a more sophisticated model whereby the East Timorese now share much, if not most, of the responsibility for the conduct ofthe transition. Only by allowing institutions to evolve in the direction of progressively greater East Timorese participation have we taken the route most likely to produce enduring and stable governmental structures. The aim is to ensure that the transition to self-government occurs gradually throughout the mandate, rather than suddenly at the moment of independence.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“At the heart of this process has been the formation of a structure of government in East Timor, albeit transitional or interim in nature, through the creation of a predominantly East Timorese Cabinet and the progressive delegation of executive authority to that body, as well as the expansion of consultative mechanisms through the establishment of the all-Timorese proto-legislature that we call the National Council. Together with the steady Timorization of government at all levels, and the creation of a Timorese judiciary, we are taking what I believe to be the most effective, most direct, and perhaps most audacious path towards fulfilling one of our core tasks, perhaps the central one, which is preparing East Timor for self-government.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Despite the enormous strides made in the past year, our overall task is far from complete, even in such critical fields as infrastructure reconstruction, particularly in the health and education sectors, where our efforts have so far fallen worryingly short of that which is required. Moreover, in other areas, such as capacity-building, our mandate is only just beginning to be fulfilled and is many years away from completion. It is this sense of reality-that East Timor will require the ongoing commitment of the international community-that I would like to impress on the Council today. What can be achieved in the coming year needs to be put in the context of the fast-moving political transition towards independence.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“As has often been noted, through resolution 1272 (1999) the Security Council gave UNTAET a mandate that was unprecedented in its breadth, involving not only peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance, tasks that are perhaps more traditional than the United Nations has in the past been asked to perform, but also full executive and legislative responsibility, including the administration ofjustice, for governing East Timor and bringing it to independence. UNTAET was called on to carry out this mandate in a country that had just experienced a trauma of a truly horrific nature. While grateful for the tributes to UNTAET's accomplishments paid by the Secretary- General in his report, I am under no illusion that much still remains to be done to meet the high expectations that accompanied UNTAET's arrival.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Finally, although he needs no introduction, I would like nonetheless to say a word about my friend and colleague who is also here to brief the Council, East Timor's cabinet member for foreign affairs, Jose' Ramos-Horta, It is fitting today, as we introduce to the Council the structural changes we have made to the mission, most notably through the prefiguration of an effective government of East Timor, that we have here with us that country's most dedicated and prominent spokesman ofthe past 25 years. I thank the Council for inviting him here to speak. We knew from the outset that the unique demands placed on UNTAET meant that our task would not be easy, although perhaps we failed fully to appreciate just how complex our task would be.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“I would also like to note with appreciation your work, Sir, as current President of the Council, in organizing this important debate and in gathering together the key players here today, including the President of the General Assembly, whom we were fortunate enough to receive in East Timor only a few weeks ago. We are grateful that East Timor has been placed at the forefront ofthe Council's busy agenda for this month. Singapore's preparation for this, including the sending to Dili of a delegation to investigate conditions on the ground, is a model we should all admire. We are particularly grateful for this.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Mr. Vieira de Mello: Fifteen months after the adoption of resolution 1272 (1999), this is my last briefing during the current mandate of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). On this occasion, therefore, as we review where we have come from and where we are heading, I would like to express my gratitude to the Security Council for its unflagging attention and support to our work in East Timor, perhaps most graphically illustrated in recent months by its decision to dispatch a mission to review the implementation of Security Council resolutions 1272 (1999) and 1319 (2000).”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“President, many thanks for giving me this opportunity to report to the Council on the latest developments in East Timor. and I once again thank the Council for its strong support.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“Clearly, the insecurity that prevailed in West Timor in September and October made further discussions on this subject extremely difficult, but it is a matter to which we shall continue to give top priority, not least because the population of the enclave must be provided with the basic right of moving freely within East Timorese territory, and at present the only way they can do so is by using barges that are put at their disposal by UNTAET, not least by the UNTAET military, which is most unsatisfactory. in addition to being very unsafe. We are also looking into the possibility of establishing a regular ferry service with the enclave as well as with the island of Atauro. but for that we would need additional financial resources. I will be presenting this need to the donor conference in Brussels next week. Once again, Mr.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“How we might be able to resolve this quandary is what Cabinet, and later the national council, will need to address, but I assure Ambassador Eldon and other members of the Council that we are giving the matter the highest priority. Ambassador Heinbecker of Canada asked me to assess the chances of agreement on a transit arrangement between the enclave of Oecussi and the rest of the territory of East Timor. As the Council knows, that has also been on our agenda of bilateral discussions with the Government of Indonesia.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“The two main challenges we face are that many skilled, competent East Timorese do not live in East Timor, and it is, as can be imagined, difficult to provide them with the necessary incentives to return and help us fill the gap that presently exists in the recruitment of the new civil servants of East Timor. Secondly, the salary scale of the East Timorese civil service is clearly not competitive, even though I must say that partners of UNTAET, in particular the International Monetary Fund (IMF), felt that our salary scales were perhaps too high in terms of their longer- term sustainability. That is the dilemma we face.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“We fully agree with you, Ambassador Andjaba, as we discussed with you and other members of the Security Council mission in Dili, and I will certainly share your request with my colleagues in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, who should be in a position to provide you with a general blueprint on how we see the United Nations presence in East Timor after independence at the time when the Secretary-General submits his report to this Council in January. Ambassador Eldon clearly pointed out that the question of the recruitment of senior civil servants must be addressed as a matter of priority in the process of Timorization. He asked how we intended to do that. We began discussing this in Cabinet last week and will continue, tomorrow, Wednesday.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“Ambassador Andjaba, supported by Ambassador Eldon, Ambassador Chowdhury, Ambassador Wang Yingfan and Ambassador Ward, requested that, as part of the renewal of UNTAET's mandate at the end of January, the Secretariat should submit recommendations on the presence of the United Nations after independence, and stated that planning should start soon for that to happen. I thank him for that.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“We must agree on the date of our next bilateral meeting, as distinct from the Joint Border Commission meeting. The question of pensions figures very high on the agenda of our bilateral discussions. We had managed to reach partial agreement on the question of pensions to be paid by the Government of Indonesia to its former East Timorese civil servants, and I believe that further progress can be made as soon as we meet again. I will request the leader of our delegation to the Joint Border Commission meeting to propose dates for the next round of bilateral discussions.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“As you have indicated, we will obviously remain within the limits of what is reasonable, according to the estimates of the Fifth Committee and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ). Thank you for giving us the opportunity of making specific recommendations for the current UNTAET budget or for the next one, according to the duration, obviously, of the mandate that you will give us at the end of the month of January. (spoke in English) I turn to other specific questions. Ambassador Soderberg of the United States and Ambassador Wang Yingfan of China asked me about the latest update on the bilateral discussions and on the question of pensions. Unfortunately, we have not had any bilateral negotiations with Indonesia since our last round in July. This is clearly unsatisfactory.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“President, for the very supportive letter that you have written to the President of the General Assembly. (spoke in French) In reply to the specific question posed by Mr. Doutriaux on this subject, I cannot give an estimate as to the use of resources from UNTAET's budget as such in support of the activities of establishing this new administration that will become independent, we hope, towards the end of next year. We have made several practical suggestions about the use of UNTAET's budget - for example, for the training of an increased number of Timorese police and for the rehabilitation of the physical infrastructure of the new Timorese judiciary. We will certainly be able to give you and the Fifth Committee some concrete proposals.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“That is indeed our policy, and I should point out that our Director for Political, Constitutional and Electoral Affairs, Mr. Peter Galbraith, has been in Jakarta since Sunday. He had yesterday, and was planning to have today, a number of meetings. He reported on an extremely fruitful meeting he had yesterday with Coordinating Minister Bambang Yudhoyono, in preparation for a visit that I also intend to pay to Jakarta in the very near future. Thank you also for everything you said about the flexibility in the use of the resources under the assessed budget of UNTAET and on the question of its assets. Concerning the preparation for the post- independence period, I wish to thank again the leader of the Security Council mission, Ambassador Martin Andj aba, for the strong recommendation he made in his report, and you, Mr.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“There again we need fresh resources, because, as the Council knows, there is absolutely no provision for this purpose in the East Timor consolidated budget. Many speakers - indeed, practically all - welcomed the establishment of the Joint Border Commission and expressed the wish that we transform it swiftly into a body for regular high-level contacts to address and resolve the wide-ranging issues that exist at present on the bilateral agenda and that are of mutual interest. Ultimately, I wish to restate here that we fully support the statement by all the members of the Council that East Timor and Indonesia must establish the strongest and the friendliest possible relations. These relations will obviously be mutually beneficial.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“I thank in particular Ambassador Soderberg of the United States for her clear indication that the United States will consider as a matter of urgency the appeal for additional human resources, not least investigators, for East Timor. I often compare the situation we found ourselves in on 13 June last year, when we entered Kosovo with the benefit of considerable human resources for the investigation of serious human rights abuses in that territory, and the lack of such resources as we went into East Timor and until today. Please help us; please respond urgently to the request that we will be circulating informally to members of the Council and other potential supporters. I am also grateful for what several delegations said about the need for an East Timorese defence force, its development and its training in the very near future.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“I have a few comments on points that were made by practically all members of the Council, first on the question of the refugees in West Timor and the need for proper registration, the need for them to be able to exercise a free choice either to return in safety to East Timor or to remain and integrate in Indonesia with international support. This is clearly key to the success of our mission, including to the conduct of a free, fair and comprehensive democratic electoral process next year I thank the Council also for what all members said about the need to improve our resources and capacity-building in the area of the judiciary, particularly with regard to the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“Mr. Vieira de Mello: Before I respond, Mr. President, may I request you to please convey to His Royal Highness, Prince Willem-Alexander, the Crown Prince of the Netherlands, my gratitude for his presence this morning until only a few minutes ago, and my gratitude for his message of support to me and to the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). Let me also thank you, Mr. President, and the other members of the Council for the strong support once again expressed today for our mission. This is extremely important to me and to my colleagues, but, more important, to the East Timorese leaders and people.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“While political transition is readily achievable, I believe that the long-term success of the transition will depend on a continued engagement of the United Nations and of individual donor countries in support of an independent East Timor into the future.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“The role of the United Nations in East Timor will not end with the last day of UNTAET's mandate. We will clearly be required well into the future in a supporting capacity for technical and security matters, but also in many areas of capacity- building in public administration. In conclusion, given the current climate of stability, I am hopeful that the security troubles I reported to the Council during my last visit to New York are behind us now, and that we can focus on the successful fulfilment of our mandate over the coming year. I believe we now have the major milestones of the transition to independence in front of us, and I am confident that the remaining steps can be successfully accomplished to ensure a smooth transition in 2001.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“Electoral registration, civil registry and civic education are all now in progress, and we will begin implementation in these three areas early in the new year. This calendar should make it possible for us to successfully fulfil our mandate and transfer power to a legitimately elected East Timorese Government at the end of 2001. But, of course, there is much more to transition than handing over political power. As the Security Council mission to East Timor and Indonesia has highlighted, the pace and success of the Timorization of the administration is closely linked to our ability to build, in the most qualified East Timorese candidates, the capacities they require in order to succeed. This effort is crucial before transition can be successfully achieved, but will also be required well after independence.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“To assist the constituent assembly, Xanana Gusmao, who is the Speaker of the National Council and the Chairman of the CNRT, has suggested that the National Council establish a special committee on constitutional and electoral affairs, to include National Council members, UNTAET and representatives of East Timorese civil society. This committee would help bring the debate to the people and develop core principles for the constitution for consideration by the elected constituent assembly, which would, therefore, be presented with a preliminary draft text of the constitution. The Cabinet will this week in Dili begin deliberation on a draft political parties regulation which sets out the conditions for political party registration.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“The key event next year- most likely in the middle of 2001, depending on the advice of our electoral experts- will be a general election for a constituent assembly, which will have as its task the final drafting and adoption of a constitution. It is not at this stage anticipated that a referendum will be held to ratify the constitution, since the elected constituent assembly will carry full democratic legitimacy. Once the constitution is adopted the constituent assembly will be sworn in as the first parliament. Depending on the process set out in the constitution, elections for a president- assuming a presidential system is chosen- the appointment of a government and the declaration of independence would all take place in the last quarter of 2001.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“It is my firm view that a successful transition requires that we gradually put executive and legislative power into the hands of the East Timorese, so that the day of independence marks the culmination of a smooth Timorization, a smooth transition, and not the point of a sudden transfer of power. The political calendar for the final phase of transition, culminating in the democratic election of a legitimate East Timorese Government, has been the subject of intensive discussion with the members of the Cabinet, the National Council and other East Timorese leaders. A number of common understandings have emerged from these discussions. It is not, however, possible to give precise dates at this time, save that we are likely looking towards East Timor declaring its independence at the tail-end of 2001.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“This proto-legislative body was appointed after a broad consultative process, and was designed to ensure representation of the various districts of East Timor, the major political parties, both inside the National Council of Timorese Resistance and outside it, as well as a broad cross-section of civil society. The Transitional Cabinet, which was created in July, was expanded in October with the addition of Mr. Jose Ramos-Horta. The creation of this Cabinet and the appointment of the National Council together represent a significant new phase in the transition towards East Timorese rule, one where power is increasingly shared between the Transitional Administrator and broadly selected representatives of East Timorese society.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“East Timor's single greatest source of revenue is likely to be the petroleum resources in the Timor Sea. Conservative estimates indicate a likely annual revenue from petroleum many times the size of the current East Timor budget, but these are only estimates. Negotiations are now fully under way with Australia on the hugely complex task of establishing a satisfactory regime for the management of petroleum activities in the seas between East Timor and northern Australia. The continued support of donors in the coming year is vital to the achievement of a successful transition plan. The process of transition towards independence, which began last year with the popular consultation and subsequently with resolution 1272 (1999), entered a new phase on 23 October this year with the inauguration of the 36-member, all-Timorese National Council.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“We face significant difficulties in encouraging the skilled diaspora to return to assume these positions, given the consequent drop in living standards that such a sacrifice would entail. Timorization cannot be successfully accomplished without a considerable and sustained investment in capacity-building, a need that will not end with independence. Transition will not only mean the replacement of international staff with East Timorese, but will also have to involve the development of a cadre of technical advisers, recruited not only from international staff, but also from private sector resources. Another challenge to be discussed in Brussels is the sustainability of public finances. Choosing a sustainable level of public spending is difficult, given the uncertainty over the revenue-raising capacity of the economy.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“The actual rate at which peacekeepers can be withdrawn from East Timor will ultimately depend on the external security environment, along with the capacity of the East Timor Defence Force to fill the vacuum. Next week I will be travelling to Brussels, with my East Timorese colleagues, to meet with donors regarding East Timor. There, in a meeting hosted by the European Commission and co-chaired by the World Bank and UNTAET, we will review the progress to date of the reconstruction and rehabilitation activities against performance indicators, as requested at the donors' meeting in Lisbon last June. The meeting will focus on an integrated strategy for transition towards independence. Among the key issues, the recruitment and development of senior managers in all sectors of the public service remains a major outstanding challenge.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“During those deliberations, Australia and Portugal made generous commitments to play the lead role in establishing an initial training programme by January 2001. Several countries expressed interest in providing assistance to strengthen the Office of Defence Force Development, which will ensure civilian oversight. The objective of having a fully trained first battalion of the defence force in place by late 2001 is now well on track. The East Timor defence force is not, however, expected to be at full strength until the end of 2003. Clearly, a United Nations peacekeeping presence will be required in some form until possibly that date. Such a presence has the full support of the East Timorese leadership.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“I have already mentioned the remarkable disparity in funding between that which goes to the United Nations itself in East Timor and that which goes to the transitional administration of the territory. This would be compounded, and much of the progress that has been made would be set back, were we to remove computers, radio equipment, vehicles and other essential hardware. I also discussed this with the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions yesterday morning, and he was very sympathetic to our request. Another crucial element of the transition to independence is defence. Plans for the creation of an East Timor defence force took a major step forward last week in Dili, with the convening of a defence donors' conference, attended by 12 countries.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“There have also been regrettable delays in the implementation of the education and health reconstruction programmes. In short, the extent of East Timor's destruction means that reconstruction will remain an urgent need well beyond independence. I have sent word to the President of the World Bank, Jim Wolfensohn, which I shall be following up, recommending that the Bank and the United Nations get together in the near future to see what lessons we can learn for the future in accelerating our approval and implementation of key reconstruction projects. At this juncture, I would also like to take this opportunity to ask the Council to consider favourably the possibility of allowing UNTAET assets, where practical, to remain in East Timor after the mission winds up.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“Infrastructure development, especially outside Dili, remains one of our main challenges. Essential rehabilitation of the roads throughout East Timor is now taking place in anticipation of the rainy season. Power has now been connected to all districts, although limited capacity and the cost of operations mean that service is not full-time. In Dili, rapidly increasing demand, no doubt largely a result of the important international presence, exceeds our output capacity, resulting in regular power outages. To help address these problems, the recent review of the Transitional Administration's budget has been able to free up some $650,000 in additional funds that we intend to use straight away for reconstruction projects outside Dili, as well as $1.6 million for the power authority.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“Those teams would be welcome sooner, rather than later, in Dili. We also remain extremely anxious for the Indonesian judicial process to begin trials as early as possible. I understand from the Attorney-General of Indonesia, Marzuki Darusman, with whom I am in constant telephone contact and who is our partner in the judicial and human rights sphere, that the trials of Eurico Guterres and the suspects in the Atambua murders may begin this year, and that other trials relating to the serious crimes committed in East Timor in 1999 may begin in early 2001, once the ad hoc tribunals on human rights, which were approved by the Indonesian Parliament only two weeks ago, have been established. Needless to say, it is imperative for concrete progress to be seen to be happening in Indonesia in this regard, sooner rather than later.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“With this is mind, we have developed a comprehensive strategy to step up investigations into the serious crimes and complete the investigation of all documented cases by December 2001. Our challenge now is to provide the required resources to implement this strategy. I have reallocated funds and materials from other areas within UNTAET, and we have prepared a list of urgent additional resources, both material and personnel, which we will require if our strategy is to be fully realized, and which we will share with all interested donors, starting, obviously, with members of this Council. I urge members to look upon these requests favourably. Furthermore, I welcome the informal suggestion by members of the Security Council Mission to East Timor that short-term SWAT teams - as it were - of investigators be deployed to bridge the gap.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“I think we all recognize that it is, frankly, absurd for a Transitional Administrator to preside over a United Nations mission that spends 10 assessed dollars on itself for every voluntary dollar spent administering the country for which the Council made it responsible. As the Security Council Mission has highlighted, the justice sector has been struggling with a serious lack of resources, both financial and human. Progress on bringing to justice those responsible for the serious human rights violations of 1999 has been slower than hoped, and I share the concern that this, in turn, could have a negative impact on efforts towards reconciliation, ifjustice is not seen to be done.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“I was therefore very pleased by the mission's recommendation that consideration be given to increased flexibility in the use of assessed resources for missions such as UNTAET, and that this was so promptly followed up by a letter from you, Mr. President, to the President of the General Assembly, recommending, through the President of the General Assembly, that the Fifth Committee and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions exercise such flexibility. I myself discussed the matter with the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions yesterday morning.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“The latest information, which I received from Dili yesterday evening, is that we now have a date for the first meeting of the Joint Border Commission, which, as the Council knows, has been delayed time and again. It will now take place this coming Thursday, in Jakarta. I have, of course, approved the participation of our delegation in those discussions. Let me now turn to a few of the key points of the Security Council's mission to East Timor and Indonesia. First of all, the Council has heard me mention before that the availability of resources in the East Timor consolidated budget remains one of the key constraints that we face.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“While there have been no definitive results from these discussions, there are signs that the three militia leaders may be able and willing to facilitate the return to East Timor of a large number of refugees, in particular, 6,000 to Baucau and 16,000 to the district of Ainaro. Furthermore, the possibility of these three militia leaders returning to, and peacefully reintegrating into, East Timor, is also under active consideration. Finally, I should like to say a word about the Joint Border Commission, a mechanism intended to provide a forum for the discussion and resolution of all cross- border issues, the agreement for which I signed with Coordinating Minister Bambang Yudhoyono on 14 September in Denpasar.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“On 14 November my Chief of Staff led a delegation, including representatives of the CNRT and the Armed Forces for the National Liberation of East Timor (FALINTIL), to a border meeting with three of the four senior militia leaders who had addressed petitions to the Security Council, starting with the letter of 14 October addressed to Ambassador Andjaba, who was then President of the Council. Incidentally, the fourth signatory has since backed off from the position adopted in those petitions. This meeting was followed by further contacts with the same three in meetings held in Kupang between them and my Chief of Staff on 19 and 21 November during preparations for the refugee repatriation to which I briefly alluded earlier.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source
“While it would be premature to declare a trend, this is yet another positive Sign. At the same time, there have been a number of encouraging meetings and contacts in the cause of reconciliation. On 24 October in Surabaya, Indonesia, UNTAET facilitated a first formal meeting between pro-autonomy political leaders, who are federated under an umbrella organization called the Uni Timor Aswain (UNTAS) and the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT). We will be following up on this next week with a second such meeting, in the hope that, through developing these contacts, common ground can be found among East Timorese leaders to aid the process of true reconciliation.”
2000-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4236 (2000) · source