Statement by Ambassador Philip Parham, Charge d'Affaires and Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom Mission to the UN

Thank you Mr President

I’d like to begin by thanking the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Timor-Leste, Dr Khare, for his briefing. And I understand this will be Dr Khare’s last appearance before his departure in December. I’d very much like to thank him for all his efforts during his time as SRSG and indeed before. I would also like to welcome Deputy Prime Minister Guterres to the Council chamber, and to commend his and his Government’s efforts to deliver sustainable security and development for Timor-Leste.

Mr President

As the Secretary-General’s report notes, there have been welcome signs of continued progress during the reporting period. In particular, the successful holding of local elections on 9 October was evidence of the relative stability and security that Timor-Leste now enjoys, and of the capacity of the body politic to engage in the democratic process in a committed but peaceful manner.

We also welcome the progress noted in the Secretary-General’s report with regard to the medium-term benchmarks for Timor-Leste.  We are particularly pleased to see the successful resumption of policing responsibilities by local police in three separate districts.  It is especially encouraging to note that no increase in crime or disorder has followed this transfer of responsibility. We look forward to the continued transfer of policing responsibilities to the Timor-Leste authorities in the remaining districts.

The progress in this area is a tribute to the efforts of UNMIT’s police component to help strengthen national policing capacity.  I would like to express our gratitude to them, and to the governments of Australia and New Zealand, for their valuable and ongoing work in this field.

On security sector reform more broadly, we concur with the conclusion in the Secretary-General’s report that greater clarity is required on the role and responsibilities of the National Defence Forces.  The absence of such clarity has the potential to hamper the overall security sector reform effort.

We’re also encouraged by progress in the other three benchmark areas: justice and the rule of law; democratic governance; and the concerted efforts being made in the field of economic and social development.  This is all important evidence of Timor-Leste’s increasing capacity in these fields.

Mr President

Notwithstanding the progress reported in a number of areas, I would like to take this opportunity to stress the importance of doing more, and more quickly, to address the issue of impunity for those found to have been involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We note the valuable work being carried out by UNMIT’s Serious Crimes Investigation Team.  But the focus now must be on pursuing this work even more vigorously, and processing outstanding cases more rapidly.

We also continue to be concerned by the reports of human rights violations by Timor-Leste’s national security forces. We urge that all possible steps are taken to investigate these allegations and hold those responsible to account.  The protection of human rights and establishment of robust accountability mechanisms is of central importance to the development of sustainable democracy in Timor-Leste.

Mr President

The Secretary-General’s report confirms that a Technical Assessment Mission will visit Timor-Leste to look at medium-term options for reconfiguring UNMIT.  This will be an important opportunity to reflect on how best UNMIT can match resources to outstanding tasks, and we look forward to hearing the Secretary-General’s proposals based on those recommendations.  We recognise that any adjustments to UNMIT’s police component should occur on a gradual, step-by-step basis.  But it is also important that UNMIT’s structure and size evolve to reflect progress on the ground – including the welcome improvements in the overall security situation.

Mr President

Our goal should remain to enable Timor-Leste to stand on its own feet in facing the challenges ahead.  Achieving that objective will require the continued engagement and support of the international community, including UNMIT.  But, given our overall objective, it is also right that the focus of our efforts is increasingly on the gradual transfer of responsibilities to the Timor-Leste authorities.

Thank you Mr President

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