Statement by Ambassador Liu Zhenmin at Security Council Debate on the Question of Timor-Leste |
2010-02-23 00:03 |
Mr. President, The Chinese delegation welcomes Mr. Guterres, Deputy Prime Minister of Timor-Leste to the Council and thanks him for his statement. I would like to congratulate Ms. Haq on her assumption of the post of Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste and thank her for the comprehensive briefing on the recent situation on the ground. Mr. President, We are please to see that over the past few months, the overall situation in Timor-Leste has remained stable, and the economic development and social progress have gradually recovered. The momentum of political dialogue among various parties has been maintained and the mode of seeking to resolve differences through consultations has been respected. Certain progress has been achieved in economic and social endeavors. The government attaches importance to investment in education and health and provision of basic services to the population, which has produced positive results in the improvement of people’s lives. With the assistance of UNMIT and the international community, the Timor-Leste police have enhanced their law enforcement capacity and are gradually taking over the responsibility of maintaining law and order. At the same time, we should recognize that Timor-Leste still faces formidable challenges in economic development and improvement of people’s livelihood. Problems such as slow agricultural development and youth underemployment are hampering the recovery and reconstruction process and affecting in a fundamental way the social stability of Timor-Leste. We support the Timor-Leste government in continuing to increase input in infrastructure, education, health and vocational training, and call on the international community to provide more assistance to the government and people of Timor-Leste in relevant fields. Mr. President, We have noticed that the Secretary-General has put forward recommendations in his report on the drawdown of UNMIT police force. We are of the view that UNMIT is fulfilling an important mission in Timor-Leste and its police unit is playing a particularly important role in assisting in the maintenance of social order and increasing the law enforcement capacity of the Timor-Leste police. It is our hope that the Secretariat will keep in mind the process of peace and reconstruction of Timor-Leste in handling the drawdown of UNMIT and ensure the security and stability of Timor-Leste while implementing the drawdown plan. We support the recommendation of the Secretary-General on the extension of UNMIT for another year on the basis of its current mandate and we hope that Special Representative Haq and UNMIT will continue to play an active role in helping the Timor-Leste government increase its administrative capacity and in coordinating the assistance efforts of the international community. Thank you, Mr. President. |