U.N. mission says timing tight for East Timor vote Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source - "John M. Miller" U.N. mission says timing tight for East Timor vote 04:10 a.m. Jun 09, 1999 Eastern By Paul Tait SYDNEY, June 9 (Reuters) - The United Nations is working against the clock to be ready for an August 8 autonomy ballot in the troubled territory of East Timor, a U.N. official said on Wednesday. ``Our biggest challenge is getting everything in and ready in time for the referendum date. We've got a very tight schedule,'' U.N. procurement officer Rory McLeod told Reuters by telephone from Darwin. The United Nations opened this week a staging post and supply centre in the remote Australian city of Darwin, from where it will run its complicated, US$50 million operation for the ballot to decide whether East Timor breaks with Indonesia. Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and annexed it the following year in a move never recognised by the United Nations. McLeod, a Canadian formerly based in Macedonia, and two other procurement officers will be in Darwin for the duration of the operation, ensuring the supply of everything from mobile telephones and stationery to computers and airconditioners for the U.N. Mission in East Timor (UNAMET). A U.N. spokeswoman said 400 U.N. volunteers, 272 civilian police from around the world and 60 military liaison officers would be housed and trained in Darwin before making the 800 km (500 miles) trip to the East Timor capital Dili. McLeod said it was important for the first U.N. volunteers to get to violence-racked East Timor as soon as possible to ensure its 400,000 voters are made fully aware of the voting process. Crucial to this would be the supply of more than 400 jeeps and four-wheel drive vehicles bought for the mission. ``They are urgently required. The U.N. volunteers are arriving very shortly and they are going to need those vehicles to get out to locations, to keep the operation moving,'' he said. Most of the vehicles would be flown to Dili over 10 days from June 25. The United Nations is organising the ballot and UNAMET staff will set up and monitor polling stations across the territory of some 800,000 people. The unarmed civilian police contingent will have a three-month mandate to observe operations, advise Indonesian police and supervise the escort of ballot papers to and from polling sites. Indonesia is responsible for security in the run-up to the ballot. Weaponry is not on the U.N. mission's shopping list. Violence between pro-Jakarta militias and independence supporters has escalated since Indonesia in January abruptly reversed 23 years of opposition and said it could countenance independence for East Timor if an offer of autonomy was rejected. UNAMET and 4,000 local staff will be based in Dili and seven regional centres. A chartered Hercules C-130 would fly supplies and personnel between Darwin and Dili, he said. Three helicopters of various sizes have also been chartered from a Darwin company. Despite the tight scheduling, McLeod said the United Nations still believed the mission would ensure the ballot proceeded on time. ``Everyone is geared up 150 percent, everyone is of the opinion that it's do-able,'' McLeod said. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked a General Assembly budgetary committee to approve US$45.7 million for some 600 international UNAMET staff. Annan has estimated the East Timor operation could cost more than US$53 million. END etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan John M. Miller Internet: etan-outreach@igc.apc.org Media & Outreach Coordinator, East Timor Action Network PO Box 150753, Brooklyn, NY 11215-0753 USA Phone: (718)596-7668 Fax: (718)222-4097 Web site: http://www.etan.org Send a blank e-mail message to timor-info@igc.apc.org to find out how to learn more about East Timor on the Internet etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytpac-06.15.99-01:33:49-5594