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Politics : Middle East Politics -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: David Alon who wrote (171)	12/17/2001 11:03:41 AM
From: maceng2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6945

On the subject of peace... E. Timor May Be Lesson in Rebuilding By JOANNA JOLLY, Associated Press Writer DILI, East Timor (AP) - The international effort to rebuild Afghanistan could learn a thing or two from the United Nations mission in East Timor, says the man overseeing the transformation of the violence-torn territory into a peaceful new nation. ``We have lessons learned the hard way to share with people trying to create new missions,'' said Sergio Vieira de Mello, head of the U.N. team in this tiny Southeast Asian territory. It has been described as one of the most successful U.N. missions in history. In the past two years, East Timor have been rebuilt from a bloodied land destroyed by warring militias to one where people live in peace and which will rule itself in another six months. De Mello warns it would be a mistake to draw too many analogies between Afghanistan and East Timor, but says there are some key lessons he feels hold for any troubled region. They include the need to act quickly and decisively, robustly confront challenges, and not impose foreign solutions on a culturally distinct people. Perhaps most important is to make sure the Afghans themselves want outside help to rebuild their homeland and are included in all important decisions, he said. In East Timor, the United Nations began its administration in October 1999. The territory had just voted overwhelmingly to break away from Indonesia after 24 years of occupation. The plebiscite sparked a bloody rampage by Indonesia's army and anti-independence militias. When de Mello arrived, he found a country with a destroyed infrastructure and a population with little experience of government -much like in Afghanistan today. About 9,000 international peacekeepers were rushed in to restore security. The United Nations also employed about 1,800 foreign professionals for administrative tasks, and aid groups flooded the region with assistance. Things improved, but not all went smoothly. Peacekeepers died in skirmishes with militiamen. Antagonism between Timorese and U.N. officials rose when some locals felt their wishes were being ignored. Business picked up but soaring unemployment led to a rise in crime. Still, elections for a governing assembly were successfully held in August, and May 20 has been set as the date for formal independence. De Mello said that if a reconstruction effort is to succeed in Afghanistan, the country must first be secured and the rule of law established. But he is leery of trying to impose Western laws and values. ``I would never offer my opinion on what system of law to apply,'' he said in an interview. ``It will have to come from the Afghans, not from foreigners.'' De Mello stressed that securing a long-term peace deal in East Timor required disarming and demobilizing armed groups and creating a new defense force. He conceded that might not be so easy in Afghanistan, where numerous rival tribes have a long history of warfare. He also said it is important for rebuilding to move quickly. He said reconstruction in East Timor, which has been criticized for being too slow, was retarded by an inefficient procurement system, cumbersome regulations and bureaucratic delays. ``We need to discover what the red tape is: What are the corners we need to cut?'' he said. De Mello also said it is important to have a good communication system that can spread information quickly to remote communities. And, he added, it is crucial that any mission in Afghanistan have clear and realistic goals and a sure source of financing. ``One of the flaws of previous peacekeeping missions were ambitious mandates and limited resources, both military, police and civilian,'' De Mello said. But in the end, success will depend on the Afghans themselves, he said. Most of what was achieved in East Timor was accomplished only with the support of a people determined to end decades of conflict, he said. - Article added at 2:17 AM (CST) on 12/17/2001. myafghan.com