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Mr President
May I first thank Foreign Minister da Costa and Special Representative Dr Khare for their presentations. I also thank the Secretary-General for his report on the situation in Timor-Leste.
New Zealand is a regional partner and friend of Timor-Leste. We are committed to assisting its government and people through multilateral and bilateral mechanisms. We strongly support the mandate of UNMIT, and the need for a sustained UN presence to help Timor-Leste overcome its wide-ranging security, governance, institution-building, humanitarian and socio-economic challenges. These are long-term challenges for Timor-Leste and the UN is uniquely-placed to assist it to stand on its own, and to ensure that precious gains are not lost.
Mr President
A great deal of work remains to be done but we are encouraged by the progress being achieved following the elections last year. As outlined in the Secretary-General’s report, there have been a number of positive developments over the past six months. We congratulate the Government and people on their effective response to the crisis created by the assassination attempt on the leadership in February. We also acknowledge the continued support provided by UNMIT and the International Stabilisation Force which have helped significantly to ensure the maintenance of stability.
The Secretary-General’s report does, however, touch on areas of immediate concern to New Zealand. Firstly, in the area of policing, we acknowledge the importance of the process of progressively handing over responsibilities from UN Police back to the national police (PNTL). The criteria used to assess the PNTL’s state of readiness should help ensure that the PNTL is ready. The criteria should also help to identify areas where further support from UNMIT and others may be needed to strengthen capabilities. Given the critical importance of this process, it should not be rushed. Very careful attention is needed in setting criteria that are appropriate and measurable, and progress will need to be monitored closely.
We also believe that the area of police training needs similar attention in order to be sure that UN and bilateral assistance is coordinated and coherent. As a starting point, a single policing model needs to be agreed. These issues will warrant special attention by the new Police Commissioner when appointed.
Mr President
Another area of concern relates to the national army’s involvement in maintaining public security. We see risks associated with this, especially when the security institutions are still developing. Furthermore, potentially positive contributions by the army can be seriously undermined by allegations of human rights violations and a perceived lack of accountability. We are particularly concerned about references in the Secretary-General’s report to threatening behaviour by army personnel directed at United Nations personnel, as well as reports of excessive force and intimidation during arrests by members of the Joint Command. The indications that some soldiers are not being held accountable, even when found guilty of serious offences, are also troubling.
We emphasise to the military and police leadership and the Timor-Leste Government the importance of promoting and protecting human rights, and ensuring that violations are dealt with appropriately. Every effort needs to be made to counter perceptions of impunity.
We also hope to see progress with the Security Sector Review. It should assist Timor-Leste to better define its internal and external security needs, its legal frameworks, and options for enhancing civilian oversight mechanisms. We continue to believe that security sector reform is essential for ensuring long term stability in Timor-Leste. We encourage the Government and UNMIT to continue to intensify their efforts in this regard.
Mr President
The Secretary-General has outlined plans to provide in his next report a medium-term strategy to be agreed with the Government of Timor-Leste, containing benchmarks and indicators for UNMIT’s mandate. We strongly support the development of such a strategy, especially at this important juncture. We believe it would assist the Government of Timor-Leste, UNMIT, the Security Council and other stakeholders to better monitor and assess performance across UNMIT’s entire mandate. Such a strategy would usefully inform decisions about future changes in UNMIT’s mandate, including when the mandate is renewed in February.
Mr President
In conclusion, we continue to offer our support and encouragement to the leaders and people of Timor-Leste, and to Dr Khare and the UNMIT team. We look forward to the visit to New Zealand later this month by Prime Minister Gusmao, Minister da Costa and other Ministers. We also thank the Security Council for its ongoing support for Timor-Leste, and South Africa for its leadership in this respect.
Thank you
