Blogging the UN Security Council meeting

UPDATE: UN's official media summary of Security Council meeting.

[Webcast: Archived Video - English: 2 hours and 55 minutes ]

[Webcast: Archived Video - Original Language: 2 hours and 55 minutes ]

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10:05 am - Delegates and staff are gathering in the Security Council chamber for a discussion (or more accurately a series of speeches and a few questions) on UNMIT and Timor-Leste. They have before them the Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (for the period from 21 January to 23 September 2009).

The meeting is being broadcast on the UN website.

10:10 Deputy PM Jose Luis Guterres is representing Timor-Leste (TL). Other non-Security Council members, among them Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Portugal and Sweden have asked to speak.

10:11 SRSG Atul Khare will also address the Council.

10:16 Khare is talking about TL's budget, Tour d'Timor bicycle race, "successful" Suco elections (67.75% of registered voters cast ballots). communal peace, water, roads and infrastructure and education were issues.

10:20 Now talking about parliamentary debate on no confidence because of Maternus Bere release - Khare called the debate a positive step. Said legal issues must be dealt with in a competent court. Said Xanana said in debate that AMP does not seek amnesty law. Said Lasama (President of Parliament) said CTF and CAVR "may be discussed by parliament after budget debate" Khare said he has repeatedly stated "UN firm postion that there can be no amnesty or impunity for serious crimes"

*** see recent letters on justice to Security Council from ETAN and other groups and Lao Hamutuk ***

10:25 other issues Khare is discussing - judicial reform, police and security sector reform, phasing out of international security forces and UN Security Council mandate. Upcoming assessment of UN in TL must include consulting with national authorities, civil society and others. Seems to acknowledge that some see UN in TL as increasing irrelevent. Talking about examples of bi-lateral aid from various countries.

10:29 chronicling efforts by UNMIT to reduce its environmental impact ("footprint"), including less paper use. Atul is no saying his farewell and final thank yous as SRSG - his term ends shortly.

10:29 Jose Luis Guterres is now speaking. Speaking about parliamentary debate on Fretilin motion of no confidence. Called it 'lively debate," says decision taken was constitutional and in nation's interest. Says Bere was released to Indonesia because he is an Indonesian citizen, is still in Indonesian Embassy. Says lawyer petitioned court to release Bere on health grounds.

10:40 - praises judicial review commission which recently finished. Now discussing 2006 crisis - all IDP camps closed and IDPs integrated. Social housing, food assistance and other programs for most vulnerable. Praises conduct of Suco elections. Security sector review is priority. Reform is a long-term prospect, may take a generation.

10:46 talking petroleum - fund, national oil company; economic growth - 7 national priority areas for next year; national corruption commission. Now saying thanks to Atul Khare. Say TL needs UN presence until 2012. Japan is next up.

10:53- Japan is pleased with progress in a number of areas and agrees with SG reports cautious optimism. Says police handover should be based on criteria not timeline. Says civilian control of armed forces is fundamental. Says not take "hasty action" in next steps.

Groups write UN Security Council on Justice

ETAN coordinated this letter to the UN Security Council on justice and accountability for the people of Timor-Leste. More than 65 individuals representing nearly 50 organizations signed on short notice. Some excerpts below, full text here. La'o Hamutuk sent their own letter and memo.

As you meet this week to discuss the situation in Timor-Leste, we remind you that United Nations -- and more specifically Security Council -- pledges and obligations concerning human rights and accountability for serious human rights crimes remain unfulfilled.

Once again we urge the Security Council to implement the recommendations of the 2005 Commission of Experts (CoE) report and Chega! (Enough!), the final report of the Timor-Leste's Reception, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CAVR). Both reports urge establishing an ad hoc international tribunal should other efforts at justice fail. If anything, recent events confirm that the governments of Timor-Leste and Indonesia are unwilling or able to pursue justice. It is time for the Council to act.

Recent events have highlighted the necessity for international involvement in prosecuting serious crimes committed in Timor-Leste between 1975 and 1999, including the August arrest and extra-judicial release (under Indonesian pressure) of the former militia leader Martenus Bere. He had been arrested under an outstanding indictment for serious crimes committed in 1999 after crossing the border into Timor-Leste. His release not only undermined the rule of law in Timor-Leste, it clearly demonstrated that the government of Indonesia continues to undermine efforts by the judiciary in Timor-Leste to prosecute Indonesian citizens accused of serious crimes committed in 1999 and before. There was an outcry from broad segments of Timor-Leste society against Bere's release, as shown by letters recently delivered to you from East Timorese.

***

We believe that the United Nations and the Council must live up to its promises to deny impunity to worst perpetrators, if only to reinforce your own credibility. We urge you to act now to implement the UN’s repeated promises by allocating the necessary political, financial and legal resources to end impunity for these crimes against humanity.

We strongly believe that real accountability will reinforce democracy and the rule of law in both Indonesia and Timor-Leste, as well as support genuine reconciliation between the two peoples.

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A full decade has passed since Indonesia’s violent exit from Timor-Leste. Indonesia has repeatedly demonstrated that it will act to prevent credible prosecution of Indonesian citizens for crimes connected with Indonesia’s occupation of Timor-Leste. We urge Interpol to issue arrest warrants for all those indicted by the Serious Crimes Unit who remain at large, at a minimum to discourage these suspects from traveling internationally. Other sanctions should be considered as well.

***

Border incursion

Tempo Semanal reports on a border incursion by Indonesian troops into Oecusse that allegedly took place on October 12.

Four TNI soldiers armed with M16s and 4 unarmed paramilitary personnel, as well as a civilian entered the Cruz area of the southern most Passabe sub-District of Oecusse, Tempo writes. The TNI assaulted Timorese building a police border post and stole some building materials. Mr. Agustino Eta, the Chefe Aldiea Haumnani, told Tempo that

the TNI officers asked him "who instructed to build the border police post, and to whom did you get permission from to build this police post?" The TNI officer told Mr Eta that the area is in dispute between Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Mr. Eta responded "Our Timor-Leste leaders told us to build this border police post here". He added "that Timorese do not need to ask permission to build a police post on their own territory". Furthermore, Mr Eta angrily continued that "if we want to build post in Indonesian then we need to ask permission". "For me and my Suco Abani community we don't think this is a disputed area, but it is our land [Timor-Leste]".

Timor-Leste's goverment in Dili only learned of the incursion 3 days after it happened.

Since June 2009 Oekusi's western border near Naktuka has been the scen[e] of border disputes with a number of armed TNI being arrested by Timorese border police for entering Timor-Leste, and quickly being released to return to Indonesia as Timor-Leste is sensitive to percevied threats from the country's neighbour...

Confidential UN map of the disputed area from 2005 , obtained by Tempo Semanal

One has to wonder if this is related to either the ongoing controversy surrounding Timor's extra-judicial release of indicted militia-leader Maternus Bere or the seemingly never-ending border negotiations between Timor-Leste and Indonesia, which are regularly announced as nearly finished.


Update (of sorts): Meant to include these links in the original posting. Tempo Semanal had an article about an earlier incursion: TNI Enter Oecusse Enclave - Border Dispute.

Simao de Carvalho the Chief of Naktuka told Tempo Semanal today that on September 26th 2009 the people of Naktuka village of Bene Ufe, Sud District Nitibe district Oekuse found some 9 Indonesian Army soldiers enter[ed] the area and report[ed] to the East Timor Police Border Patrol Unit.

Global Voices highlighted the issue a week or so ago, citing the TimorOhin [Tet.]website and the related TimorNewsNetwork news summary.

Lao Hamutuk asks on the east-timor list "Why are TL VIPs in China?"

After spending all last Monday in Parliament successfully defending his placing Timor-Leste's "national interest" above legal and Constitutional limitations, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão -- together with the Ministers of Finance, Infrastructure, and Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of State for Natural Resources, and the head of Timor-Leste's armed forces, headed to China to participate in a Western China trade fair and visit a shipyard (see press release below).

This is a high-level group for a relatively unimportant activity, but there are other reasons to go to China.

Perhaps the visit is related to the new Budget and Financial Management Law which Parliament passed on 24 September. In addition to outlining how the State Budget is to be approved (the General State Budget for 2010 will be sent to Parliament this week), this law allows the Minister of Finance to borrow money from governments like China, without any Parliamentary or public oversight of the terms or repayment of the loan (see NGO commentary at http://www.laohamutuk.org/econ/09FONGTILSubOrsJesFin18SepEn.pdf ).

...

La'o Hamutuk doesn't yet have confirmed information that the six high Timor-Leste officials went to China to borrow money, but the timing of the visit, together with the demonstrated policies of this government to spend far more than the sustainable level recommended by the Petroleum Fund law, give us reason for concern.

If they have more time, the Ministers can look into the apparently stalled $385 million Heavy Oil Power project, awarded last year to Chinese Nuclear Industry Construction Company #22. Much of this year's $85 million budget line for this project has been reallocated to the Referendum Package of small local infrastructure projects. However, if the flagship power project of the government "year of infrastructure" is ever to be realized, something must be done. (See http://www.laohamutuk.org/Oil/Power/08PowerPlant.htm .)

La'o Hamutuk welcomes more information about these issues from any source, and encourages people to pay close attention.

Sumatra Earthquate and Indonesia's International Debt

Former ETAN field organizer and former Jubilee USA staffer writes from Indonesia on the Sumatra earthquake for Jubilee's Blog the Debt.

Some excerpts:

Indonesian government officials have estimated that at least $600 million will be needed to repair basic infrastructure damaged by the earthquake. Countries around the world have pledged and sent humanitarian assistance, but it is not enough to enable Indonesia to rebuild. Meanwhile, Indonesia continues to send almost $9 billion every year to foreign governments and international financial institutions in payment on its foreign debt....

Jubilee colleagues in Indonesia, including the Koalisi Anti-Utang (KAU/Anti-Debt Coalition) are calling on the Indonesian government to reallocate the money currently slated for debt repayment to finance reconstruction and to prepare for future disasters. They are also urging the Indonesian government not to take on new loans to finance disaster response.