East Timor - UNTAET - Fact Sheet/Background ------------------------------------------- Background The United Nations General Assembly placed East Timor on the international agenda in 1960, when it added the territory to its list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. At that time, East Timor was administered by Portugal. Fourteen years later, in 1974, Portugal sought to establish a provisional government and a popular assembly which would determine the status of East Timor. Civil war broke out between those who favoured independence and those who advocated integration with Indonesia. Unable to control the situation, Portugal withdrew. Indonesia then intervened militarily and later integrated East Timor as its 27th province. The United Nations never recognized this integration, and both the Security Council and the General Assembly called for Indonesia's withdrawal. Beginning in 1982, at the request of the General Assembly, successive Secretaries-General held regular talks with Indonesia and Portugal aimed at resolving the status of the territory. In June 1998, Indonesia proposed a limited autonomy for East Timor within Indonesia. In light of this proposal, the talks made rapid progress and resulted in a set of agreements between Indonesia and Portugal, signed in New York on 5 May 1999. The two Governments entrusted the Secretary-General with organizing and conducting a "popular consultation" in order to ascertain whether the East Timorese people accepted or rejected a special autonomy for East Timor within the unitary Republic of Indonesia. To carry out the consultation, the Security Council established the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) on 11 June 1999. The 5 May agreements stipulated that, after the vote, UNAMET would oversee a transition period pending implementation of the decision of the East Timorese people. Despite an extremely tight timetable, a high level of tension, and the Territory's mountainous terrain, poor roads and difficult communications, UNAMET registered 451,792 potential voters among the population of over 800,000 in East Timor and abroad. On voting day, 30 August 1999, some 98 per cent of registered voters went to the polls deciding by a margin of 94,388 (21.5 per cent) to 344,580 (78.5 per cent) to reject the proposed autonomy and begin a process of transition towards independence. Following the announcement of the result, pro-integration militias, at times with the support of elements of the Indonesian security forces, launched a campaign of violence, looting and arson throughout the entire territory. The Indonesian authorities did not respond effectively to the violence, despite clear commitments made under the 5 May agreements. Many East Timorese were killed and as many as 500,000 were displaced from their homes, about half leaving the territory, in some cases by force. The Secretary-General and the Security Council undertook strenuous diplomatic efforts to halt the violence, pressing Indonesia to meet its responsibility to maintain security and order in the territory. A Security Council mission visited Jakarta and Dili, and the Secretary-General worked to rally support among Governments for a multinational force authorised by the Security Council to bring the situation under control. As the mission concluded its visit to Jakarta on 12 September 1999, the Government of Indonesia agreed to accept the offer of assistance from the international community. The Security Council then authorized the multinational force (INTERFET) under a unified command structure headed by a Member State (Australia) to restore peace and security in East Timor, to protect and support UNAMET in carrying out its tasks and, within force capabilities, to facilitate humanitarian assistance operations. The first elements of the force arrived in East Timor on 20 September. In the meantime, the United Nations began a large-scale emergency humanitarian relief effort, including airdrops of food, aid convoys and the provision of shelter and basic services. Relief workers and supplies were deployed incrementally as the security situation improved. At the same time, increasing attention was paid to the voluntary repatriation of some 250,000 East Timor from West Timor and other areas in Indonesia and the region. To finance the relief effort, a Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for $199 million was launched on 27 October 1999. Following the outbreak of violence, the Indonesian Armed forces and police began a drawdown from the territory, eventually leaving completely. Indonesian administrative officials also left. On 28 September, Indonesia and Portugal, at a meeting with the United Nations, reiterated their agreement for the transfer of authority in East Timor to the United Nations. They also agreed that ad hoc measures were required to fill the gap created by the early departure of the Indonesian civil authorities. UNAMET re-established its headquarters in Dili on 28 September and immediately began efforts to restore the mission's logistical capacity and redeploy UNAMET personnel as conditions allowed. On 19 October 1999, the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly formally recognized the result of the consultation. Shortly thereafter, on 25 October, the United Nations Security Council established the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) as an integrated, multidimentional peacekeeping operation fully responsible for the administration of East Timor during its transition to independence. As soon as possible, INTERFET will be replaced by UNAET's military component. ----- East Timor - UNTAET Facts and Figures LOCATION East Timor HEADQUARTERS Dili DURATION 25 October 1999 to present SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND CHIEF OF MISSION Sergio Vieira de Mello (Brazil) DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR GOVERNANCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Jean-Christian Cady (France) DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND EMERGENCY REHABILITATION Akira Takahashi (Japan) CHIEF MILITARY OBSERVER Brigadier General Rezaqul Haider (Bangladesh) CHIEF OF CIVILIAN POLICE (Acting) Commissioner Alan Mills (Australia) STRENGTH Military component: Authorized maximum strength: 8,950 troops and 200 military observers Civilian police component: Authorized maximum strength: 1,640 CONTRIBUTORS OF MILITARY AND CIVILIAN POLICE PERSONNEL Currently being determined FINANCIAL ASPECTS Method of financing Assessments in respect of a Special Account Estimated budget Currently being determined Prepared for the Internet by the Information Technology Section/ Department of Public Information (DPI). Maintained by the Peace and Security Section of DPI in cooperation with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. (c)United Nations 1999