I have the honour to convey the attached
letter, dated 11 June 2006 (see annex), from the Government of the Democratic
Republic of Timor-Leste, signed by the President, the President of the
National Parliament and the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste. In the letter,
the Timorese leaders have requested that I propose to the Security Council
"to establish immediately a United Nations police force in Timor- Leste
to maintain law and order in Dili and other parts of the country as necessary
and re-establish confidence amongst the people, until the PNTL [Timorese
police] has undergone reorganization and restructuring so that it can act
as an independent and professional law enforcement agency". In view of
the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007, the letter
recommends that the proposed United Nations police force should remain
in Timor-Leste for a minimum of one year and undertake the tasks specified
therein.
With regard to the nature of a future
United Nations presence in Timor-Leste to succeed the United Nations Office
in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL), the letter expresses the view that "a robust
United Nations police, military and civilian mission is indispensable in
order to assist the Timorese people to consolidate [their] hard won peace
and freedom".
I should be grateful if you would bring the present letter and its annex to the attention of the members of the Security Council.
(Signed) Kofi A. Annan
Annex
Letter dated 11 June 2006 from the President, the President of the National Parliament and the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste addressed to the Secretary-General
On behalf of the people of Timor-Leste and the State Institutions we represent, we wish to take this opportunity to extend our appreciation to you and the Members of the Security Council for having endorsed the request of the Timorese leaders outlined in our letter of 24 May 2006, requesting multinational security forces to be sent to Timor-Leste to restore peace and stability in the country. Security forces of Australia, Malaysia and New Zealand have since successfully stabilized the situation in Dili and surrounding areas. Portugal is also contributing to the security situation with the deployment of its special elite Police Force, the GNR.
- United Nations Police Force for Timor-Leste
The Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL) has not been able to discharge its operational responsibilities as a law enforcement agency, and basically disintegrated on 28 April 2006. We wish to request that you kindly propose to the Security Council to establish immediately a United Nations police force in Timor-Leste, to maintain law and order in Dili and other parts of the country as necessary and reestablish confidence among the people, until the PNTL has undergone reorganization and restructuring so that it can act as an independent and professional law enforcement agency. In view of the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007, such a United Nations police force should remain in Timor-Leste for a minimum of one year, and be comprised of a strength of approximately 870 officers in five units, to undertake the following tasks:
- Specialized and rapid reaction force through formed police units to maintain law and order in Dili and other key regions as necessary;
- Community and general policing in Dili with limited presence in the districts (150-250 officers: the initial number of officers required will be 150 and increase to 250 during the first six months in 2007 when electoral campaign activities will take place);
- Institutional and capacity-building advisory team for the reorganization of the PNTL, including vetting of PNTL officers, policy planning and legislative drafting etc.;
- Investigation of serious incidents along with forensic support to the districts;
- Management and support functions will be carried out at United Nations Police Force/PNTL headquarters in Dili.
In regard to the current United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) mandate we hold the view that a further one month extension as of 20 June 2006 is necessary. We remain ready to provide our input into the discussion concerning the nature and need of a robust United Nations presence in Timor-Leste, to replace UNOTIL after the expiration of the one-month extension period.
The rapid response of the Australian, Malaysian and New Zealand defence forces, has succeeded in quelling the violence and has now stabilized the situation.
Once the emergency phase has passed it will be necessary to review the current force arrangements. As to the size, composition, mandate and rules of engagement and command we are open to the expert advice of the Office of the Secretary-General, the deploying forces and other friends. In any case we believe that a robust United Nations police, military and civilian mission is indispensable in order to assist the people of Timor-Leste to consolidate our hard won peace and freedom.
(Signed) Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao
President of the Republic
(Signed) Francisco Guterres "L'Olo"
President of the National Parliament
(Signed) Mari Bim Amude Alkatiri
Prime Minister