The Guardian 7 June, 2006
Downer faces East Timor reality,
calls for UN help
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has moved to quieten the chorus of demands for "regime change" in East Timor and the resignation of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri in particular. While Downer and Howard continue to lay the blame for the ongoing unrest in Dili on "poor governance" on the part of the Timorese, the Foreign Minister last week said that the situation would most likely not improve with Mr Alkatiri’s resignation.
The statement is a belated recognition of the fact that the government of East Timor — with its majority of independently-minded FRETILIN members led by Prime Minister Alkatiri — is the legitimate government of the young nation and a reality to be faced.
The East Timorese parliament was called to an emergency session as The Guardian went to press. It is expected to consider measures to deal with the violence on Dili’s streets and to endorse President Gusmao’s declaration of a 30-day state of crisis. Out on the streets, the 2,250 troops under the command of Australian Brigadier Mick Slater are struggling to bring the tit-for-tat attacks of rival gangs under control. The Brigadier has admitted that the task would be better dealt with by police rather than by military trained personnel.
Nevertheless, Downer has declared that the security situation in East Timor is "generally under control". Brigadier Slater says that "What you’re seeing is a steady rate of activity". The International Organisation for Migration says that it is satisfied that aid is getting through to the estimated 100,000 people forced out of their homes by the wave of gang violence.
The Foreign Minister has denied that Indonesia is orchestrating the current lawlessness and blames it instead on "certain individuals". However, the savage occupation of East Timor by Indonesia and the wave of arson and killings orchestrated by the Indonesian army when the East Timorese voted for independence only six years ago suggest that Indonesia also has an interest in destabilising and overthrowing the East Timor Government.
Despite the progress being made in dealing with the gangs and the security situation generally, Australia is looking around for support and more partners in this latest overseas operation.
Both Foreign Minister Downer and Labor’s Kevin Rudd, who visited Dili over the weekend, are now calling for United Nations help by way of a substantial police force under UN command. The UN Security Council is to meet later this week to hear a report on the East Timor situation and it would be a significant step forward if it decided to agree to this proposal.
Rather than rushing in and campaigning strongly for the removal of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri the Australian Government should have backed the East Timor Government, involved the UN from the beginning and disarmed the dissident soldiers as the rules of engagement agreed to with the East Timor Government provided.
Instead of taking this course, the Australian Government embarked on a policy of "regime change". So far this has failed although powerful reactionary media circles continue to campaign and plot for this to happen — as though the removal of one person from the leadership of a government would solve all the problems of stability, mass unemployment, economic development and security.
Brigadier Slater now says that the Australian forces would consider co-operation with the East Timor Police (PNTL). "If that means a couple of PNTL uniforms with coalition military forces to help us bolster our presence in the streets and integrate better the local population then it’s something we’d definitely consider", he said. Up until now, however, the Australian forces have sidelined East Timor’s military and police.
All-in-all, the Australian Government is now sounding more conciliatory having acted precipitately, thinking that the government of a small state would be a "push-over". International disquiet at the situation that has now been created was made subtly but unmistakeably when Portugal refused to put its force of paramilitary Republican National Guard under Australian command. While the Australian Government’s more cautious attitude to its role in East Timor cannot be admired, it is to be welcomed.