---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- UN mission in East Timor expects reduced force after mandate extension DILI, East Timor, July 29 (AFP) - The UN Mission in East Timorexpects some staff to leave the territory before its extended mandate expires on September 30, a spokesman said Thursday. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan earlier told the Security Council he was postponing the autonomy ballot in the territory, previously slated for August 21-22, until August 30. In a letter to the council on Tuesday he asked it to extend the mandate of UNAMET, which is organising the vote, by another month until September 30. "We anticipate that some of the electoral officials may leave the mission soon after the polls take place and some of the UNAMET staff will have to leave after the consultation," UNAMET spokesman Hiro Ueki said. "The number will inevitably be reduced after the consultation." Ueki said however, that the number of unarmed UN civilian police required for the post-consultation phase would still have to be discussed. There are now 243 UN civilian police advising Indonesian police on security during the electoral process, while 49 UN military liaison officers are also there to liaise with the Indonesian armed forces. Under an agreement on the polls signed by Indonesia and Portugal at the United Nations in May, Indonesian police were given responsibility for security in East Timor. UNAMET also has 400 district electoral officers and 203 other personnel in the territory for the "popular consultation" in which East Timorese will vote on whether to accept an Indonesian offer of autonomy. Indonesia has said it may let go of the former Portuguese colony which it invaded in 1975 if voters reject the autonomy offer. Annan announced the postponement after consulting Indonesian and Portuguese authorities and deciding that security was too lax for fair election monitoring. Violence and tension have risen in East Timor since Indonesia said in January it would allow the territory to decide its own future. The vote had initially been planned for August 8, and was then postponed until August 21 or 22 amid concerns over security and logistics. Annan said the extension was needed "to seek an improvement in the security situation." He also said UNAMET needed more time to put together a voters' list, publicize it and allow for appeals. "Fundamental to the integrity of the consultation process is that there is a reliable list of voters," he wrote. He said he would inform the council shortly of plans for a UN presence in the territory after the vote. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 29 Jul 1999 jam 08:09:02 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
