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Statement by New York, 24 August 2004 Mr. President, Permit me to express my delegation’s appreciation to you for this opportunity to participate in the Security Council’s consideration of the agenda item on Timor-Leste. Since this is the first time we are appearing before the Council this month, it is also appropriate to congratulate you on your assumption of the Presidency of the Council for the month of August. My delegation would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his report contained in document S/2004/669 of 13 August 2004. As members of the Council would recall, Indonesia has been consistent in its support of the work of UNMISET. In this regard, we are glad that the report notes the various steps being taken by the Timorese Government towards self-sufficiency. It has always been the hope of Indonesia that UNMISET assist Timor-Leste to reach that objective as soon as possible. Mr. President, Indonesia places great value on its relationship with Timor-Leste. Indeed, only last month, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia upgraded the status of its diplomatic representation in Dili to the ambassadorial level by the enactment of the Presidential Decree Number 60 of 26 July 2004. Our ambassador to Timor Leste subsequently presented his credentials to President Xanana Gusmao this month. Hopefully, this development will further nurture our growing relationship. Similarly, on 30 June 2004, Foreign Ministers of the two countries held a meeting in Bali to discuss efforts to further enhance bilateral cooperation, with particular reference to the boundary issue. Members of this Council may well be aware that the Technical Sub-Committee on Border Demarcation and Regulation (TSC-BDR), comprising border experts from both countries, has held 11 meetings during the period 2001-2004. The Sub-Committee has achieved significant progress, identifying 907 geographical points of international boundaries in the border between the two countries. This is important because those geographical points cover approximately 90% of the land boundaries shared by the two countries. The implication of this achievement is that only about 10 % of the boundary remains to be covered. At the meeting of the Ministers, I am pleased to inform the members of the Security Council that the Ministers agreed on the content of the Provisional Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on the Land Boundary, and shall submit it to the Heads of Governments for their consideration. The draft of the provisional agreement underlines the robust efforts of both states to facilitate the conclusion of the first-ever boundary agreement between both nations, and paves the way for a full boundary agreement. Furthermore, I would like to draw the attention of the Council to a recent statement by the Foreign Minister of Timor-Leste on the subject of Batek Island, to which the Secretary-General’s report of 13 February 2004 (S/2004/117) referred, regarding its ownership between Indonesia and Timor-Leste. In a comment to the press at the end of a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia and Timor-Leste on 15 August 2004, Minister Ramos Horta stated that Batek Island was under the sovereignty of Indonesia, adding that he was grateful that Indonesia would grant rights to the Timorese in Oekusi to visit the Island for rituals or traditional purposes. Before I conclude, Mr. President, I would like to refer to the decision of UNSECOORD, on 17 June 2004, to change the security status for the West Timor area from phase five to four. Although this development has come rather late, the decision is a demonstration of the improving security situation in the border area, apart from the fact that the status was improperly imposed in the first place. It is the determination of both Indonesia and Timor-Leste to embrace forward-looking policies in the interest of the people, and their development. Both nations have chosen to enhance their cooperation on the basis of mutually-beneficial policies. In this context, it is important for UNMISET to remain supportive of the cordial and growing bilateral ties between Indonesia and Timor-Leste. I thank you, Mr. President.
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