Statement by Ambassador John C. Danforth, U.S. Representative to the United
Nations, in his national capacity, on the UN Mission of Support in East
Timor, in the Security Council.

We welcome the Secretary-General's latest report on the UN Mission of
Support in East Timor (UNMISET) (S/2004/888), and Special Representative
Hasegawa's presentation to the Council. We support the recommendation in
the Secretary-General's report to extend UNMISET for a final six months
until May 20, 2005. During the last six months of the mandate, UNMISET
personnel should continue transferring skills and prepare to transfer
responsibility for civil administration, justice, and security to their
East Timor counterparts, bilateral donors, and other UN agencies. As we
approach the end of a very successful peacekeeping mission, we must
consider outstanding issues that remain unresolved. Most importantly, the
international community should consider what measures should be taken to
ensure accountability for the atrocities committed in East Timor in 1999.

As we have stated numerous times, there must be accountability for the
human rights violations committed in East Timor. The international
community has a responsibility to address this issue. The recent ruling by
an appeals court in Indonesia overturning another Ad Hoc Tribunal
conviction, bringing the total of those convicted down to a single
individual, directly impacts the larger issue of achieving this
accountability. The Ad Hoc Tribunal process was seriously flawed. It
failed to provide a full and credible accounting for the crimes committed
in East Timor in 1999.

There must be some level of accountability for those atrocities to create a
climate conducive to the development of democratic institutions in both
Indonesia and East Timor. Given the limited jurisdiction of the Serious
Crimes Unit and its inability to address crimes already perpetrated by the
Indonesian military, and the failure of the Indonesian Ad Hoc Tribunal
process, additional remedial measures may be required. We believe the
Secretary-General should send an independent expert assessment mission to
East Timor and Indonesia to examine the current processes, and make
recommendations.

I now return to my role as Council President.

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This document can be obtained at www.un.int/usa/04_242.htm