East Timor asks UN for 800 police for five years
The premier, Ramos-Horta, is also hoping for the dispatch of peacekeeping forces but "there is no agreement yet in the Security Council".
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews/Agencies) - East Timor is asking for more than 800 United Nations police to help stabilise the fledgling country after recent political violence, Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta said.
The UN deployment would be for a period of five years, Ramos-Horta told a news conference on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) annual ministers' meetings here.
"We are requesting over 800 international police, many civilian advisers as well as peacekeeping... we are talking about a long-term commitment," he said.
As part of its job, the international police force would also help to train up a local force, he said.
Ramos-Horta said it would "take a while" to reorganise East Timor's police following the violence in May, which arose partly because the country's police force grew rapidly without proper training.
At least 21 people were killed and 150,000 others displaced.
"We have argued with the Security Council that... although the situation in East Timor has now stabilised, in the medium- to long-term we need two security elements," he said.
The first is for an international police force and the second is for a "credible peacekeeping force".
"There is a consensus in the Security Council to authorise the deployment of a strong police force, including many civilian advisers for a wide range of sectors.
"There is no agreement yet in the Security Council in regard to peackeeping," he said.
Since May, around 3,200 foreign peacekeepers, from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Portugal, have been patrolling the Timorese capital Dili after the factional fighting.
UN special envoy Ian Martin last week stressed the need for a "substantial" UN police presence in volatile East Timor to create the conditions for credible parliamentary and presidential elections next year.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Wednesday it wants to withdraw its troops from East Timor as soon as possible but the timing depends on the United Nations' plans to set up a mission there.
.png)
21/01/2008
17/10/2006
