SECURITY COUNCIL WELCOMES SUCCESSFUL EAST TIMOR ELECTIONS

Security Council

4368^th Meeting (AM)

SECURITY COUNCIL WELCOMES SUCCESSFUL EAST TIMOR ELECTIONS

The Security Council this morning warmly welcomed the successful staging of the elections for East Timor’s first Constituent Assembly on 30 August.

In a Presidential statement (document S/PRST/2001/23), read out by its President, Jean-David Levitte (France), the Council particularly welcomed the orderly and peaceful conduct of the election and the very high voter turnout, which demonstrated the wish of the East Timorese to establish a full participatory democracy.

The Council also recognized the important role of the East Timorese leadership and welcomed the cooperation extended by the Indonesian Government during the election period.  It further expressed its appreciation to the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) for facilitating a smooth and representative election process. 

The statement called on all parties to fully respect and implement the election results, which provide the basis for a broad-based Constituent Assembly, and looked forward to the establishment on 15 September of the Constituent Assembly and the new Cabinet. 

The Council also called upon all parties to work together to draft a constitution which would reflect the will of the East Timorese, and to cooperate for the successful completion of the final steps to independence.

The statement also reiterated the importance of a substantial international presence in East Timor in the post-independence period.

The meeting, which began at 12:24 p.m., was adjourned at 12:26 p.m.

Statement

The Security Council recalls its previous resolutions and the statements of its President on the situation in East Timor.

The Security Council warmly welcomes the successful staging on 20 August 2001 of the elections for East Timor’s first Constituent Assembly, in particular the orderly and peaceful conduct of the elections and the very high voter turnout, which demonstrated the wish of the East Timorese people to establish a full participatory democracy.  In that regard, the Council recognizes with appreciation the important role of the East Timorese leadership and welcomes the cooperation extended by the Government of Indonesia during the election period.

The Security Council expresses its appreciation to the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor for facilitating a smooth and representative election process.  The Security Council calls on all parties to fully respect and implement the election results which provide the basis for a broad-based Constituent Assembly.  The Security Council looks forward to the establishment on 15 September of the Constituent Assembly and the new Cabinet within the framework of resolution 1272 (1999).  The Security Council calls upon all parties to work together to draft a constitution which reflects the will of the East Timorese people and to cooperate for the successful completion of the final steps towards independence, in a complex process of stabilization in East Timor which will take some time and involve many actors.

The Security Council reiterates the importance of a substantial international presence in East Timor post-independence.

The Security Council looks forward to receiving the Secretary-General’s October report focusing on the transition and post-independence periods.

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