| Subject: UN's
Annan To Interview 3 Filipinos To Head E Timor Force
Associated Press November 29, 1999 UN's Annan To Interview 3 Filipinos To Head E Timor Force SYDNEY (AP)--U.N. Secretary-general Kofi Annan plans to interview three Filipino commanders to head the military component of the peacekeeping force in East Timor, the mission's civilian chief said Tuesday. Special envoy for East Timor Sergio Vieira de Mello said two or three candidates from the Philippines were headed to the U.N. headquarters in New York to meet Annan. A blue beret force of more than 9,000 soldiers and 1,600 policemen will be part of the U.N. contingent overseeing East Timor's transition from disputed Indonesian territory to the world's newest nation. The transitional administration will replace a U.N.-mandated, Australian-led multinational force that entered the territory in September to end a wave of violence and killing by Indonesian-backed gangs after an independence referendum. Australia's leadership triggered a backlash in Indonesia against some western countries, including the U.S., and brought criticism from some regional leaders that the force should have been Asian-led. De Mello said after meeting Australia's defense and foreign ministers in Sydney Tuesday that the composition of the blue beret force had been decided "more or less" on the basis of troop offers from various countries. Final Composition Of Force Known By End Of Week "The final composition will be known by the end of this week," de Mello told reporters. "As far as the first commander is concerned, the secretary-general will be interviewing two or three Filipino military officers who should be traveling to New York as I speak. We should have a decision about that very soon," he said. De Mello thanked Australia for its contribution to peacekeeping in East Timor, but also sought to increase pressure on the government to provide help to investigate possible human rights abuses there. He said the world had been too slow to react to an urgent need to investigate possible abuses, and that evidence was deteriorating or being destroyed because it wasn't being gathered. The U.N. team has asked Australia for forensic staff and help to establish a morgue in East Timor's capital, Dili. "We aren't asking for much, we're asking for forensic anthropologists and pathologists that could actually help us do the work after the bodies are exhumed," de Mello said. "We aren't asking for scores of people, just two or three of each. Surely that is achievable." Back to November Menu Note: For those who would like to fax "the powers that be" - CallCenter V3.5.8, is a Native 32-bit Voice Telephony software application integrated with fax and data communications... and it's free of charge! Download from http://www.v3inc.com/ |