"Public meeting in the Security Council on Timor Leste"

Statement by Ambassador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations (24 August 2004)

I wish to thank Assistant Secretary-General Mr. Hedi Annabi for introducing the Secretary-General’s report as well as the updating us on the situation in Timor Leste.

  1. Timor Leste has made remarkable progress since its independence over the last two years. We commend the government of Timor Leste for its achievements despite difficult circumstances. We appreciate the efforts of the Timorese leadership to promote national reconciliation and heal the deep wounds of the past – both internal and external.
  2. Pakistan supports the efforts of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) to consolidate peace and assist institutional development in Timor Leste. We welcome the progress made by UNMISET in the three programme areas which it is mandated it to support the government of Timor Leste i.e: (i) public administration and justice system as well as for justice in the area of serious crimes; (ii) the development of law-enforcement; and (iii) security and stability in Timor Leste. These are critical tasks to help assist Timor Leste in this crucial period of institution-building.
  3. We agree with the observation in the Secretary-General’s report, however, that “UNMISET can only meet the most urgent requirements. Complementary bilateral efforts to strengthen Timorese public administration, law enforcement agencies and armed forces are essential for Timorese counterparts to achieve the necessary capability in an orderly and sustained manner.”
  4. Pakistan believes that the continued support of Timor Leste’s neighbours is also vital in this regard. The development of close and friendly relations between Timor-Leste and Indonesia is of utmost importance and is in the best interest of both countries. We welcome the efforts by both sides to improve their bilateral relations. We call on them to continue to work in a constructive manner in order to resolve their outstanding problems – in particular on the demarcation and management of their common land border.
  5. We hope that Timor Leste’s other neighbours can also resolve their bilateral issues with it in order to allow that country to attain its true economic potential. In this context we attach high importance to an early finalization of the maritime boundary between Timor Leste and Australia and on the sharing of petroleum and natural gas resources in the region – resources which are so badly needed for Timor Leste’s immediate and long-term economic and social development.
  6. In the conclusion, I would like to share the optimism expressed in the in the Secretary General’s report to the progress being made by Timor-Leste on the road self-sufficiency. However, as the report states, “it is clear that much remains to be accomplished during the remaining months of UNMIEST’s mandate, and that the extent of its progress will depend upon joint efforts by Timor-Leste, UMISET and the international community.” In our view, the long term stability and self-sufficiency of East Timor must not be taken for granted. Without the necessary and sustained international assistance from the international community, all the gains made in Timor Leste could be in danger of unraveling.
  7. To facilitate the transition from peacekeeping to peace-building, it is important at this stage for the appropriate involvement of the other organs of the United Nations and other elements of the international community –including the Bretton Woods Institutions and civil society in assisting Timor Leste. In this regard, we should examine the possibility of setting up of composite committee with representatives from the Security Council, ECOSOC and the General Assembly to coordinate and oversee international support for Timor Leste. At the very least, the ECOCOS could consider setting up a mechanism similar to the ones created for Guinea Bissau and Burundi.