AUT: UN goes in to east timor

["rc-am" <rcollins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

i'll only note:

- that this means a co-operation between the UN and the Indonesian army;
not the withdrawal of the Indonesian army, which is not at all made
clear here but is in other articles;
- and this:  "Mr Howard also spoke yesterday to Mr Annan, who said
yesterday that the UN would not have proceeded with the ballot for
independence last month if it had known the carnage that would
follow" -- what can i say, yeah, like anyone would beleive that rubbish
now;
- not least, i guess much of the work has already been done;
- there is no indication of timing, but some reports suggest tomorow;
- and i guess someone eventually made that phone call to the bank...

Angela
_________

--------
from the _Age_
Yes to peacekeepers

By MICHAEL GORDON
AUCKLAND
and HAMISH McDONALD
JAKARTA, SUNDAY

Australia is poised to lead of a force of international peacekeepers
into East Timor after the Indonesian President, Dr B.J. Habibie,
succumbed to international pressure to restore order in the new nation
last night.

Dr Habibie, declaring that too many people had lost their lives,
announced that a United Nations force would be invited to restore order
and implement last month's vote in favor of independence.

The decision, announced after Dr Habibie met his Cabinet and the leaders
of the military, came after more than a week of unrelenting carnage and
chaos after the East Timorese voted decisively for independence.

The Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, described the decision as ``a great
step forward for the people of East Timor'', but said there was still
much work to be done.

``My message to the people of Indonesia is that the world wants to work
with you,'' Mr Howard said. He praised Dr Habibie for honoring a
commitment to invite the force if martial law failed to quell the
violence.

Dr Habibie, in an internationally televised address, said the UN force
would work with the Indonesian military to restore order in East Timor.
``Too many people have lost their lives since the beginning of the
unrest, lost their homes and security. We cannot wait any longer. We
have to stop the suffering and the mourning immediately,'' Dr Habibie
said.

He said Indonesian soldiers - blamed for aiding an abetting the
murderous anti-independence militias - had made their best efforts to
restore order in ``extremely difficult circumstances''.

He made it clear that Indonesia would support the arrival of the force
as quickly as possible and has sent the Foreign Minister, Mr Ali Alatas,
to New York to discuss arrangements with the Secretary-General of the
United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan.

The dramatic reversal followed a mounting international outcry over
Indonesia's failure to honor its pledge to maintain order before and
after the independence ballot.

Earlier yesterday, the United States President, Mr Bill Clinton,
increased the pressure on Jakarta when he declared the crisis was
imperilling the future of Indonesia, as well as East Timor.

``The eyes of the world are on that tiny place and on those poor,
innocent, suffering people,'' Mr Clinton said while attending the APEC
leaders summit in Auckland.

``The Indonesian Government and military must not only stop what they
are doing, but reverse it. They must halt the violence, not just in Dili
but throughout the nation,'' he said. ``They must allow an international
force to help restore security.''

Last night's meeting of Dr Habibie's cabinet came after the head of the
armed forces, General Wiranto, said at the weekend that the accelerated
deployment of peacekeepers was an option that should now be considered.

Mr Clinton is consulting Congress on the form of a US contribution to an
Australian-led peacekeeping force, which now has commitments from four
ASEAN nations: Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Mr Howard, who met Mr Clinton late yesterday, said it was now clear that
a ``very broadly based force'' was ready to go into East Timor once the
Indonesians agreed.

The undeniable reality was that existing arrangements ``for whatever
combination of reasons'' were inadequate to stop the murder and terror
and the presence of an international force was imperative, Mr Howard
said.

Mr Howard also spoke yesterday to Mr Annan, who said yesterday that the
UN would not have proceeded with the ballot for independence last month
if it had known the carnage that would follow.

Last night's go-ahead for the peacekeeping force came during a respite
from the violence in Dili, where a UN official said yesterday that the
militias opposed to East Timor's independence had stopped burning houses
and offices, and the night had been relatively quiet.




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