Secretary-General's press conference in Timor-Leste
Press events | Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary-General
We have a short amount of time so I will immediately hand over to the Secretary-General who will make a short statement, which will be followed by a brief interactive period to be moderated by Allison. Thank you very much. The Secretary General
SG: Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen of the media. It is a great pleasure to meet with you in this press conference.
It is a great pleasure for me to visit Timor-Leste. My time here has been very brief, but I have had productive meetings with President Ramos-Horta, with the President of Parliament Araújo and the party bench leaders, Prime Minister Gusmão , the Deputy Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and, of course, my Special Representative Atul Khare. I have also had an opportunity to meet with civil society representatives, visit a police station and a camp for Internally Displaced People.
I wish here to pay tribute to the Timorese people for their determined efforts to overcome the many post-crisis challenges their young country faces.
During my time here, I heard about, and saw, the encouraging advances that have been made. I especially commend the Timorese for the peaceful conduct of this year's elections, when they demonstrated their faith in the democratic processes to consolidate peace and security.
I welcome the high voter turnout that led to a Parliament that is today broadly representative of Timorese society, including 18 women parliamentarians and many of the younger generation.
The work of Parliament, Government and other State institutions shows a normalization of policy making and of political debate within healthy, democratically-sanctioned arenas. The approval of the well-developed Government Programme and budgets are important first steps towards fulfilling the promise of the elections.
The Parliament has shown that it takes seriously its responsibility to represent the interests of the people in an accountable manner, engaging in meaningful and lively debates over important policy issues. The Government has also demonstrated due recognition for MPs as the direct representatives of the people, and I commend the President for his important initiatives, especially in the areas of national reconciliation and unity.
We also are aware that, although there continue to be sporadic security incidents, particularly in Dili, the efforts of the police have contributed to an improvement in the overall security situation. The reduction in incidents of serious crimes from 29 cases per month in January to about five at the end of November is a remarkable achievement.
I urge the Timorese police to continue their close working relationship with UNMIT police, which made this possible. However, I remain concerned that sporadic violent disturbances still occur, particularly among youth in Dili.
Other lingering issues from last year's crisis could also adversely impact on the security situation, such as the cases of Alfredo Reinado and that of the IDPs [internally displaced persons]. The UN system continues to be fully engaged with the Government to find a durable solution to the complex, humanitarian issue of the displaced.
I understand the serious institutional and individual challenges that Timorese police faced as a result of the events of 2006. All are to be commended for the sincere efforts they have made to rebuild an effective, neutral police force, based on respect for human rights and the rule of law.
There are also larger challenges to the security sector as a whole, including the armed forces and the judiciary. These include joint-operations by the security institutions, the strengthening of legal frameworks, and the enhancement of civilian oversight. We welcome the transformation of the security sector review process into a truly Timorese-owned process, in particular the mechanism established by the President in agreement with the Government. UNMIT will continue to engage with this mechanism. Finally, curbing violence will also depend on the strengthening of conciliatory efforts. It will involve an outreach effort across communities to bridge political divides and promote stability.
This is not the time for complacency or self-congratulations. Despite the gains made so far, Timor-Leste still faces serious short-term and long-term challenges. Now the promise of the elections must be fulfilled, and the State must demonstrate its ability to implement lasting solutions. It must address poverty challenges and socio-economic concerns that affect Timor-Leste.
The responsible budget and the programmes developed by the Government are signs of real commitment and responsibility. However the country continues to require assistance in developing the capacities to put that commitment into practice. International assistance at this critical juncture is essential to ensure that Timor-Leste continues to develop a culture of democratic, stable governance. In my meetings, I have emphasized the need for all Timorese to work closely together to seize the current opportunity. The international community is offering its full support, to tackle the many challenges facing the country.
UNMIT will focus future efforts on four priority areas: review and reform of the security sector, strengthening of the rule of law, economic and social development, and promoting a culture of democratic governance. These tasks will require long-term commitment and sustained support. I will continue to advocate, in my interaction with Member States, for the United Nations' long-term engagement in Timor-Leste.
Thank you.
I now look forward to responding to your questions.
Q: What is the United Nations' position in regard to the crimes against humanity committed in Timor-Leste in 1999? The second question is: what is the position of the UN on the five Australian journalists killed in Balibo in 1975?
SG: This is a specific case, please let me consult with my Special Representative.
SRSG Khare: With the permission of my Secretary-General, because the questions raised are very specific, the cases of the Balibo five are related to 1975. There is already the Commission on Truth and Reconciliation that has adopted a report, and the Parliament of Timor-Leste has to consider the recommendations made by that report. As far as the serious crimes committed in 1999 are concerned, as you are aware there are some pending cases that are being investigated by the Serious Crimes Investigation Unit of UNMIT as mandated by Resolution 1704. Separately you are aware there are other mechanisms, such as the Commission on Truth and Friendship, but all these mechanisms must have an element of credible accountability and of course conformity with internationally accepted human rights principles.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, today the President expressed his hope that the UN will stay involved in East-Timor. After observing the situation on the ground, how much longer do you think the UN should be committed here this time?
SG: Considering that Timor-Leste is still going through a very important transitional period to full democracy, political, social and economic stability, I think it's necessary to extend the Mandate of the United Nations until a more predictable and stable period is reached. However, as for a specific period of extension, this is the subject for the Security Council to decide. As you know, the Security Council dispatched a delegation that visited here last week. My visit also will help the Member States to understand the current challenges and prospects of Timor-Leste. I will closely consult with the members of the Security Council on this matter, reflecting on what the President and members of the Parliament, who spoke about their desires, said. This is one item I will take back to New York to discuss with the Security Council members.
Q: There was a sense of impatience with the Security Council delegation and there was an echo of that in your speech today, do you think there is a fatigue of the international community, at least for the United Nations, with the lack of reconciliation in this country?
SG: This country is a very young republic trying to address all the challenges after their independence in 2002. The UN has been involved in this process before and after independence; therefore we need to give encouragement and support to such efforts by the Timorese Government and people until they can address their security and development issues. But I understand at the same time there is a feeling of impatience and frustration over the prolonged process. I have seen today that there are still many challenges, but at the same time we need to commend their efforts towards democratization, strengthening of the rule of law and their conduct of peaceful parliamentary and presidential elections. They have taken measures for reconciliation and my Special Representative has been continuously and consistently involved in meeting with all political and civil leaders. This kind of dialogue will help in their efforts to reconcile themselves.
Q: I would like to ask about the results of the climate change conference in Bali, and what is the message you would like to give to political leaders on this issue?
SG: Climate change is an issue which affects the future of all humanity and planet Earth. It is an urgent issue on which the international community must take joint action now. [The cost of] inaction, or delay of action, will be far greater than the cost of action. My goal is to launch the negotiations with a clear time period until 2009, with a clear agenda for the present and future. I would urge the negotiators and political leaders to overcome national and geographical boundaries. Global warming does not respect any national boundaries, it affects the whole planet. It doesn't care if you are coming from developing or industrialized countries. Unfortunately developing countries, who have contributed the least to global warming, will be hit the hardest. Therefore I would urge all leaders to agree and launch clear targets. I know there are concerns of particular countries about this quantifiable target. Somewhere down the road we must agree on that. But our goal at this time is to launch negotiations. Tomorrow I will return to Bali and check the status of negotiations and if necessary, I will again meet with the delegation and urge them to agree on this. I hope by today that the negotiators will agree on this issue.
I would also like to add that this is an issue where industrialized countries should take the lead, considering their historical responsibilities, particularly those with the largest emissions. The biggest industrial economic powers should take the lead and field their responsibilities. If we are not able to agree on this, I would say the negotiators will have to bear their historical responsibilities for the whole international community and the future of planet Earth.
Q: Secretary General, Stephen Fitzpatrick from The Australian newspaper; as you would know, our new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has also been here and he said he accepts that Australian troops with the International Stabilisation Force need to be here for another year at least. While they are not under the control of the United Nations, their assistance provides security for the UN to continue its work here. I was wondering if you could comment about how long you see the need for Australian troops to be here as part of that International Stabilisation Force?
SG: Australian forces have been making a great contribution to the maintenance of peace and security and I would hope that Australians continue to make these contributions as much as they can. I had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Rudd in Bali; however for any detailed decision, I would leave that to the Australian government and peopl