UNITED NATIONS TRANSITIONAL ADMINISTRATION IN EAST TIMOR

Dili, 5 July 2000

FUTURE SECURITY FORCES TO BE STUDIED

A seven-member multinational team from King’s College Centre for Defense Studies, London University, will on Saturday begin to undertake an independent study on the future of the security forces of East Timor.

The first member is due to arrive in Dili tomorrow, and the other six on Friday. The experts are from Germany, Mozambique, South Africa and the United States of America.

The King’s College team will produce a report within six weeks on the future security of East Timor, including possible profiles for a defense force. The group is studying the current security arrangements within the territory, relations between civilians and Peacekeeping staff, as well as making an in-depth analysis of the Falintil, the liberation army.

The team will begin with a meeting on Saturday with the Falintil Working Group at UNTAET Headquarters.

On Monday, 10 July, the King’s College team is meeting with members of the Portuguese, Australian and US missions. A meeting with CNRT President Xanana Gusmão and CNRT Vice-President José Ramos-Horta is scheduled for Tuesday, 11 July, at CNRT headquarters.

The following day, the team will be making their way to Falintil’s headquarters in Aileu where they will meet commanders and veteran Falintil fighters of the five regions, as well as UNTAET’s District Administrator.

INTERNATIONAL PROSECUTORS SWORN IN (30 June 2000)

Two international prosecutors were sworn in on Wednesday for the Special Panel handling so-called serious crimes. Timorese prosecutors to the panel will be sworn in next week. Michael Keegan, a former trial attorney and legal advisor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, was appointed as the Deputy General Prosecutor for Serious Crimes. He will, for the time being, act as General Prosecutor for East Timor. Carlos Vasconcelos, a former federal prosecutor at the Office of Federal Prosecutions in Brasilia, Brazil, was appointed as a Public Prosecutor.

July Menu
World Leaders Contact List
Human Rights Violations in East Timor
Main Postings Menu