Subject: Text of UN chief Kofi Annan's statement on
East Timor
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 23:10:49 EDT
From: Joyo@aol.com09/03/1999 22:22:00 ET
Text of UN chief's statement on East Timor
UNITED NATIONS, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Following is the text of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan's statement to the 15-nation Security Council. He announced that voters in East
Timor, a former Portuguese colony controlled by Indonesia, chose independence in a
U.N.-organised ballot on Monday.
"On 5 May 1999, Portugal, Indonesia and the United Nations concluded an historic
set of agreements intended to resolve the long-standing issue of East Timor. These 5 May
agreements requested me to determine, through a popular consultation based upon a
universal, direct, and secret ballot, whether the East Timorese people would accept or
reject a proposed special autonomy for East Timor within the unitary Republic of
Indonesia.
"To enable me to fulfil this request, the United Nations Security Council
established on June 11, 1999 the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), which
proceeded to organise and conduct the popular consultation. It registered 451,792 voters
in East Timor and around the world, in a registration process which the Electoral
Commission, a body composed of three independent commissioners, deemed to be a sound basis
for the conduct of the consultation.
"Thus, on 30 August 1999, in a show of courage and determination, the people of
East Timor turned out in massive numbers to vote in the popular consultation, expressing
their will as to the future of the territory. The votes cast have now been counted, and
the Electoral Commission has assessed all outstanding complaints and certified the results
of the popular consultation process.
"Therefore, in fulfilment of the task entrusted to me by the 5 May Agreements, I
hereby announce that the result of the vote is 94,388, or 21.5 per cent, in favour, and
344,580, or 78.5 per cent, against the proposed special autonomy.
"The people of East Timor have thus rejected the proposed special autonomy and
expressed their wish to begin a process of transition toward independence.
"After 24 years of conflict, East Timor now stands on the threshold of what we all
hope will be a process of orderly and peaceful transition toward independence. The coming
days, however, will require patience and calm from the people of East Timor. I hardly need
stress how important it is for its leaders to exercise wisdom and reason.
"Now is the time for all concerned to seize the opportunity to lay a firm and
lasting foundation for cooperation and peace, and to usher in an era of stability and
prosperity for all future generations of East Timorese.
"Those who voted to accept the proposed special autonomy must not consider this
outcome a loss. Nor indeed should the majority consider it a victory; for there are no
winners and no losers today. Rather, this moment heralds the opportunity for all East
Timorese to begin to forge together a common future in what is to become an independent
East Timor.
"Today, I ask all parties to bring to an end the violence which for 24 years has
caused untold suffering to East Timor. I ask them to begin in earnest a process of
dialogue and reconciliation through the East Timor Consultative Commission. I call upon
the Government of Indonesia, which made possible the consultation process through a
statesmanlike initiative of the President of the Republic, to ensure its successful
culmination by carrying out its responsibility to maintain law and order in the territory.
"I should like to thank both Indonesia and Portugal for their commitment and
perseverance in this process. I am confident that the governments will fulfil their
remaining obligations under the 5 May Agreements. Let me assure both governments that the
United Nations will continue to work with them to ensure the implementation of the results
of the consultation through a peaceful and orderly process.
"Let me also assure the people of East Timor that the United Nations will not fail
them in guiding East Timor in its transition toward independence."
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