Mr President
Thank you for convening this open meeting of the Security Council on Timor Leste. I also wish to thank the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Timor Leste, Sukehiro Hasegawa, for updating the Council on developments in Timor-Leste and for his excellent work since his appointment.
It is clear that Timor Leste has come a long way since achieving independence – a great deal of the credit must go to the determination and hard work of the people of Timor Leste and its leaders. At the same time, the Council itself and the UN membership more broadly should be proud of the UN's role in assisting Timor Leste. As the Secretary-General's report shows, UNMISET over the past twelve months has contributed to the further consolidation of the transition to a democratic and peaceful Timor Leste.
Australia is also proud of what we have done to assist Timor Leste in building a stable and sustainable society. We have been a major supporter of UNMISET's operations and continue to provide a significant program of bilateral assistance. Together with the UN and other neighbours of Timor-Leste, Australia has a big stake in ensuring that Timor-Leste is equipped to meet the challenges that it faces.
We particularly commend the efforts of the Governments of Timor Leste and Indonesia in developing productive relations and a cooperative approach to border management issues. The development of close relations with its neighbours will be crucial to Timor Leste's long-term stability.
Although Timor Leste has made commendable progress, clearly it requires the continued support of its neighbours and the international community. So, Australia would like to see a continuation of UN involvement in Timor-Leste beyond 19 May 2005 when UNMISET's mandate expires to safeguard the considerable investment made by the international community.
However, in our view the current external security environment in Timor-Leste does not warrant a continuation of peacekeepers on the border. Australia's preference is therefore for a continued UN presence to concentrate efforts on essential nation-building tasks, especially in capacity building of government institutions, development of police and security forces, and the strengthening of law and justice systems.
In any future UN mission in Timor Leste, a Special Representative of the Secretary-General should continue to report to the Security Council, which would retain oversight of the situation in Timor Leste. The mission should also continue to be funded from the regular UN budget. We note that there would be no military costs involved under our preferred approach. It will be more important to ensure that essential civilian positions are adequately funded.
Mr President
UNMISET has clearly made a significant contribution to building a capable and vibrant democracy in Timor Leste. But the current challenges facing Timor Leste require a new approach. It is our view that a continued UN presence post-UNMISET should focus on the key areas of capacity building and governance.
Australia has been a significant contributor to the UN's efforts in support of our close neighbour and friend. As in the past, Australia can be relied upon to maintain its contribution in proportionate terms to any future UN presence in East Timor, however the Council should decide to proceed.