EAST TIMOR.

Briefing the Security Council on 27 June, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for East Timor and head of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), Sergio Vieira de Mello, said he expected elections for a constituent assembly to be held in the second half of next year. He said it was remarkable that so much had been achieved on the security front in so short a time after last year's violence. East Timor was now in a state of peace, he said. He predicted that the newly independent territory would be ready for elections--and possibly independence--between the end of August and December 2001.

Prior to the elections, according to Mr. Vieira de Mello, it is most likely that the National Council for East Timorese Resistance (CNRT) would recommend the establishment of a broad constitutional commission to draft a constitution. UNTAET has tried to determine the minimum criteria necessary for East Timor's independence. These include the establishment of mechanisms to maintain security and establish a credible judiciary, and the completion of sufficient reconstruction to allow the administration to function after independence.

Cautioning that the Mission was still poorly equipped to meet some of the challenges it faced day by day, Mr. Vieira de Mello invited the Council to visit East Timor to help members better understand the unique nature of UNTAET's task. Despite the availability of funds, weaknesses in UN budget practices prohibited the mission from constructing border control posts, or refurbishing prisons or courts. He stressed that UNTAET needed to be given the authority to use its budget as flexibly as necessary.

Donor Governments on 23 June pledged their continued support for the reconstruction of East Timor, endorsing a work programme for the territory's development through December 2000. At a two-day meeting hosted by Portugal, the donor community recognized the importance of the East Timor Consolidated Budget to complement the wide-ranging reconstruction programme, and indicated their support for closing the financing gap of $16 million for the next financial year.

At the conference, Mr. Vieira de Mello outlined the UN mission's progress since October 1999, noting that its main humanitarian accomplishment had been the large-scale relief effort that "spared widespread disease and starvation" and facilitated the return of over 163,000 refugees. The relief programme greatly benefited from UN agencies, East Timorese communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) acting as "government service deliverers", he said, adding that such consolidated help would be crucial in the coming months during the transition from relief to development.

UNTAET is working towards establishing a major reconstruction and development programme, and has successfully negotiated grants with the World Bank in five key sectors: health, infrastructure, community empowerment, agriculture and education.

On 21 June, UNTAET and the CNRT agreed on a new composition and structure for the territory's main decision-making body--the National Consultative Council. Composed of 33 East Timorese members, the new Council will include 13 representatives from the districts, 7 from CNRT parties and 3 from other political parties. Its other members will represent youth, women's groups and NGOs, as well as the Catholic, Protestant and Muslim communities, professional and farmers' associations, the labour movement and the business community.

On 26 May, Mr. Vieira de Mello reiterated the mission's commitment to protecting ethnic minorities from persecution in the territory. He stressed that East Timor had been a multi-ethnic society long before the UN mission arrived and many of its minorities had well-established rights to live there, even though regulations on immigration, residency and nationality had yet to be adopted.