Venom threatens separate mission

The Australian ^ | 4th September 2006 | David Nason

[naturalman1975]

THE aggressive anti-Australian tone of East Timor's response to the Becora prison breakout is a sure sign that Canberra will have great difficulty winning an extension when the joint "green helmet-blue helmet" security arrangement is reviewed by the UN Security Council next month.

Under the UN mandate passed by the council 10 days ago, the Australian-led stabilisation force has authority to operate in East Timor separately from the UN's 1600-strong police deployment.

But as a concession to the many opponents of this shared security system, the council ordered UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to review the arrangement and report back within two months.

Significantly, Mr Annan and East Timorese Prime Minister Jose Ramos Horta were among those who had argued strongest for the military component of the new mission to be brought under full UN control.

Their many supporters included Portugal, the former colonial ruler of East Timor, China, Brazil and the three other members of the Australian-led stabilisation force - New Zealand, Malaysia and The Philippines.

But with powerful backing from the US, Britain and Japan, Australia won the diplomatic battle and was allowed to continue its independent military role, albeit on a temporary basis pending Mr Annan's review.

At the time, Australia's UN ambassador Robert Hill said while Canberra was pleased its military option had been adopted, Australia's soldiers had to prove to the UN they could deliver on the mission's security demands.