UN: Timorese President presents human rights report to Annan

Source: United Nations News Service
Date: 20 Jan 2006

Timorese President presents human rights report to AnnanTimorese President Xanana Gusmão today presented an independent human rights report to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and called
attention to the need for aid to his country once the UN Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) ends its mission there in May.

At a news conference in New York, President Gusmão said the report, which looks at the 24-year occupation of the former Portuguese territory by Indonesia, was "a way to heal the wounds in the people's minds" but he stressed the need now was to focus on the future development of the tiny country that gained independence in 2002.

"We are here for some business, one is to present to the Secretary-General the report from the CAVR, the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation, and of course to explain a little bit about the process in East Timor, and to talk with Members of the Security Council about the prospects after 20 May 2006," the President said.

"The main objective of the report is to present the situation of 24 years of war. The figures can be disputed but the essential issue is to remind not only our future generation not to commit all that happened again in East Timor, but also to remind the international community to try everything that it doesn't happen again elsewhere," he added.

"The CAVR is not talking only about the suffering of the people because of the invasion. The CAVR reported also human rights violations committed by ourselves to Timorese people, to our compatriots. Timorese acts committed by Timorese to Timorese," the President said, emphasizing that the report looked at both sides.

President Gusmão went on to stress the very important role that the UN had played in assisting his country, something that was echoed by Jose Ramos-Horta, the Foreign Minister of Timor-Leste, who also spoke at
the news conference and told reporters of what the country would like to see after the May expiry of UNOTIL.

"The Prime Minister addressed a letter to the Secretary-General and to the Security-Council requesting a special political office to be established in Timor after May 20, 2006," Mr. Ramos-Horta said, referring to the date when the mandate of the current office expires. He said a new presence was needed to provide "continuing assistance."

The Security-Council is due to meet on Monday to discuss the situation in Timor-Leste and in particular the Secretary-General's latest report on UNOTIL, which was released earlier this week.

In the report, Mr. Annan described the nascent country as remaining "generally calm and stable" but said "much remained to be done" to consolidate progress.

"I strongly believe that while the future of the country rests with the Timorese people and their Government, the international community should remain engaged in Timor-Leste beyond 20 May 2006, when the UNOTIL mandate expires," the Secretary General said.

One of the issues that Mr. Annan highlighted was the need to complete delineation of the land border with Indonesia, but in particular he said a "major challenge" facing the country in the near term would be the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007.

UNOTIL was set up in May 2005 to succeed the UN Mission of Support in Timor-Leste (UNMISET), which was established in 2002 to help with administrative structures, law enforcement and security after the country gained independence from Indonesia.

Press conference by President of Timor-LesteTimor-Leste believed in restorative rather than punitive justice, that country's President Xanana Gusmão, said at a Headquarters press conference this morning.

The President was responding to a correspondent who had asked whether the Timorese Government would pursue investigations in order to bring to justice perpetrators of the human rights violations committed during Indonesia's 24-year occupation of the then East Timor.

He said that the terms of reference of the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CATF), established by Timor-Leste and Indonesia, allowed that body access to the tribunal in Jakarta, documents of the Serious Crimes Unit in Dili and to the report of the Timorese Truth Commission (known as CAVR, its Portuguese acronym). President Gusmão was expected to present that report to Secretary-General Kofi Annan later today.

Asked whether Timor-Leste would seek reparations or apologies from the Indonesian Government or the Timorese resistance, he said that the CAVR recommendations could be approached on two levels, the first
relating to the international community, and the other to the Timorese themselves. Internationally, Timor-Leste could ask for apologies or compensation from the permanent members of the Security Council, from countries that had sold weapons to Indonesia during the conflict or from those that had supported Indonesia in United Nations resolutions. That was a legitimate aspiration on the part of the victims or the Commission.

For the Timorese, it was important to prevent the recurrence of the occupation and to respect the rule of law, he said. Timor-Leste did not feel comfortable about going to the Security Council to demand compensation, particularly in light of the more than $1 billion that the United Nations and the international community had spent on aid to Timor-Leste, which still intended to request the establishment of a special political office after the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste's (UNOTIL) mandate expired in May 2006.

He cautioned, however, that, if no attention was paid to the vulnerable people, former combatants, widows and orphans, all the sacrifice that the Timorese had accepted during 24 years of struggle would have no value.

A correspondent asked the President to comment on a statement reportedly issued by the Indonesian Government that questioned the need for, and the figures contained in, the report of the Truth Commission on atrocities allegedly committed by occupying Indonesian forces.

President Gusmão replied that the independent Commission's report did not only detail violations against victims of the Indonesian invasion, but also those committed by Timorese against fellow Timorese. Yet, the Government had not accused the Commission of exaggerating, but rather had respected the result. The main aim of the report was to prevent a recurrence of those 24 years of war. It was also a means to heal the wounds and to help the international community keep such a situation from happening elsewhere.

In response to a question about the role of the United Nations in Timor-Leste after the expiration of UNOTIL's mandate, Foreign Minister José Ramos-Horta, who accompanied the President, said the expiration would mark the end of six years of major United Nations engagement in Timor-Leste. It had started with the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), which had organized the country's 1999 referendum, followed by the Security Council-authorized INTERFET (International Force for East Timor) and, immediately after the restoration of
security, the Council had authorized the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). The end of that mandate in May 2002 had seen the creation of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET), the predecessor to UNOTIL.

He said that those mandates showed a logical sequence. INTERFET had ended the conflict and averted a major humanitarian crisis following the violence of 1999, UNTAET had helped to build the State, followed by UNMISET and eventually UNOTIL. President Gusmão would be requesting the establishment of a modest special political office to succeed UNOTIL and provide continuing assistance.