S/PV.6858 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I should like to welcome the return of the members of the Council and the Secretariat who took part in the Security Council mission to Timor-Leste. I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Baso Sangqu, leader of the Security Council mission to Timor-Leste.

South Africa was honoured to lead the Security Council mission to Timor-Leste, which comprised six delegations, namely, Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, Portugal, Togo and South Africa, and took place from 3 to 6 November 2012. The purpose of the visit, as provided for the terms of reference agreed upon prior to our visit by all members of the Security Council, was to reaffirm the Security Council’s commitment to supporting Timor-Leste; to assess the progress made on the ground; to discuss with the Government of Timor-Leste its vision of an innovative working relationship of cooperation with the United Nations; to commend and express the Security Council’s full support for the work of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) and for the United Nations country team in Timor- Leste; and to underscore the long-term commitment of the international community to sustainable peace and development in Timor-Leste. In fulfilling that mandate, during its visit to Timor-Leste the mission met with various interlocutors in Government, including the President, the Prime Minister, the key Ministers in the Government, the President of Parliament and political parties, including a meeting with the leader of the main opposition party. The mission also held interactions with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and judicial and security actors, as well as representatives of UNMIT and other United Nations agencies on the ground. In addition, the Mission received a briefing from the International Stabilisation Force, led by Australia and New Zealand. The latter is also in the process of drawing down its operation, with the intention of leaving Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste is a very different place from six years ago, when the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste was initially deployed. There have been significant developments in the country in the past 10 years, since the restoration of its independence and, specifically, after the crisis in 2006. Due to the resilience and determination of the Timorese people and its leaders, the country has made tremendous progress. Stability has prevailed. Thousands of displaced persons have returned home. The elections took place in accordance with international standards. A new Government has been formed on the basis of the outcome of the election. The opposition has space to operate in line with democratic principles. On 31 October, a few days before the mission’s visit, the final certification of the full reconstitution of the Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL) took place. The certification marked the end of operational support by the United Nations police (UNPOL) to the PNTL. It occurred after a PNTL-UNPOL joint working group had prepared a report assessing the PNTL’s capacity. The report identified a number of gaps but generally gave a favourable assessment of the PNTL’s institutional capacity. Challenges include continued budgetary assistance for the PNTL, the improvement of its disciplinary regime and reporting mechanisms, the implementation of PNTL-related aspects of the national plan of action against gender-based violence and the improvement of communications systems. During our visit, the mission had an opportunity to engage with senior PNTL officials and the UNPOL Commissioner. The mission also visited the police training centre in Dili and the police station in the town of Same. In all our interactions, we could assess the progress made in implementation the Joint Development Plan that had guided the capacity-building efforts at the national and district levels. The PNTL has been transformed into a professional police force and its conduct in providing exemplary security during the recent rounds of elections is testament to that. The mission was also introduced to 17 PNTL officers who were certified in May and who are now awaiting deployment in United Nations police missions. It was heartening to note that women were part of that group of officers. In our discussions with the Timorese interlocutors, we noted that they were aware that there were gaps and that there was willingness to address them. The mission also had an opportunity to engage with the Falintil-Forças Armadas de Defesa de Timor-Leste (F-FDTL). We were provided with an overview of the progress in and plans of the defence sector. There have been concerted attempts to separate the competencies of the PNTL from those of the F-FDTL. In February, the Council adopted resolution 2037 (2012), which extended the UNMIT mandate until 31 December 2012 and endorsed as a plan the phased drawdown of UNMIT, in accordance with the wishes of the Government of Timor-Leste, the conditions on the ground and the subsequent successful completion of the 2012 electoral process. On 20 September, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão sent a letter to the Secretary-General expressing his Government’s appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to the United Nations for the continued support to Timor-Leste (S/2012/736, annex). He further stated that Timor-Leste no longer required United Nations support through the presence of either a United Nations peacekeeping or political mission beyond the end of 2012 and that consequently there was no requirement for the continued consideration of Timor- Leste’s affairs by the Security Council. Prime Minister Gusmão noted that the United Nations would continue to be an important partner in the new phase of the country’s development and that Timor-Leste would like to establish an innovative working relationship of cooperation with the United Nations with a focus on institutional strengthening and development. That message was explicitly relayed to the mission in its interactions with the Prime Minister and senior Government ministers. The Prime Minister suggested that the future United Nations role could involve the appointment of a non-resident special adviser on Timor-Leste who would report directly to the Secretary-General. The task of the special adviser would be to support the implementation of Timor- Leste’s Strategic Development Plan and the efforts to strengthen institutions within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals, with special attention to the principles of the new deal. The Prime Minister stated that the Special Adviser could also play a role in supporting Timor-Leste’s leadership of the Group of Seven Plus fragile States. Resolution 2037 (2012) encouraged a timely decision by the Government of Timor-Leste on the nature, activities and scope of the United Nations post- UNMIT in coordination with UNMIT and the United Nations country team and other relevant stakeholders. The Government of Timor-Leste has made its views very clear. It does not seek to remain on the agenda of the Security Council. Instead, it seeks an innovative relationship with the United Nations focused on development and institutional strengthening. All Timorese stakeholders with which the mission interacted were unanimous in their view that UNMIT’s role has run its course and that it should withdraw. There were some divergent views on the future United Nations role. In our various interactions, especially with political parties and NGOs, but also with the Government itself, the challenges faced by the country became evident. They include human resources capacity constraints, strengthening State institutions and national and judicial capacities, addressing past crimes, a security sector review and socio-economic development. While not insignificant, such challenges are not insurmountable. They should be examined in the context of the huge transition that the country has undergone in the past 10 years. Education, youth employment, health-care and equitable development will require a continuous close engagement by the Timorese authorities with the support of their international partners to overcome the remaining challenges. The institutional arrangements that have been put in place provide confidence that once UNMIT is withdrawn, the Government of Timor- Leste has the capacity to address those challenges. One key remaining issue once the UNMIT mandate ends is that the investigations of all serious crimes will not be complete. Under UNMIT, the Serious Crimes Investigation Team was created to assist the Office of the Prosecutor-General to conduct investigations into the serious crimes of the past. That Team has managed to investigate 319 cases to date and was hoping to reach 335 of the outstanding 396 cases by December. The rest would thus remain pending and will require nine months to be completed. The Government assured the mission that the matter was being addressed. The withdrawal of UNMIT will not mark the end of the partnership between Timor-Leste and the United Nations. The Organization will continue to provide support to its national institutions by designing and implementing programmes for its accelerated development through United Nations agencies, funds and programmes in partnership with Timor-Leste. Bilateral cooperation between Timor-Leste and its partners will continue to be important in providing the necessary assistance. However, key to that new phase would be national ownership of the process, which was stressed to the mission in all its interactions. In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all Council members that participated in the mission for their unwavering support. On behalf of my colleagues who participated in the mission, I would like to thank the Government and the people of Timor- Leste for their hospitality, assistance and cooperation, and the Acting Special Representative of the Secretary- General and the entire staff of UNMIT for providing us with the necessary support during the Security Council mission’s visit to Timor-Leste. I cannot end without also thanking our support team — Ms. Lahoud, Mr. McNab, Mr. Sinclair, security officers Edwards and Henn, and all the Security Council Secretariat Branch and United Nations security, respectively — for their professional and tireless efforts and support during the preparatory stage and during the mission.

I thank Ambassador Sangqu for his briefing. On behalf of the Council, I should like to express appreciation to all members of the Security Council and the Secretariat who participated in the mission for the manner in which they discharged their important responsibilities on behalf of the Council. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers, the Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.