PRESS STATEMENT ON TIMOR-LESTE BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

(Delayed in transmission.)

The following statement to the press on Timor-Leste was delivered on 28 February by then Security Council President Joel W. Adechi (Benin):

In a public meeting held today, members of the Security Council heard the briefing of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative (SRSG) for Timor-Leste, Sukehiro Hasegawa, who presented the Secretary-General’s report on the activity of the United Nations Mission of Support in Timor-Leste (UNMISET) (document S/2005/99).

Mr. Hasegawa updated the Council on the general situation in Timor-Leste, which is considered calm and stable, despite some minor incidents, as reported by the Secretary-General.

He highlighted the extraordinary achievement made by Timor-Leste, with the assistance of the international community, in strengthening its national institutions and State administration, but, at the same time, he recognized that Timor-Leste continues to require assistance in the following critical areas:  border management and control, development of a professional police service, development of critical State institutions, and observance of democratic governance and human rights. 

The SRSG also provided information regarding the implementation, by UNMISET, of its exit strategy, as mandated by the Council in resolution 1573.

Members of the Council welcomed the remarkable developments in Timor-Leste in the last five years and acknowledged the challenges still facing that country, both in the socio-economic and in the security and political fields.  In this regard, they agreed to continue discussion on how to support Timor-Leste to address these challenges, including through a UN presence in the country to be in place as an alternative to the existing one. 

Members of the Council emphasized that continued bilateral cooperation and multilateral assistance, as well as regional support, towards Timor-Leste are needed in order to ensure a smooth transition from peacekeeping to a sustainable development framework. 

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