UN takeover from international security force continues in East Timor.
14 February - United Nations peacekeepers today assumed command of the central section of East Timor from the multinational force that had overseen security in the area since September 1999.
Two hundred troops from the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) and the international forces in East Timor (INTERFET) participated in a ceremony in Dili that included the change of flags and berets, symbolizing the transfer of authority. The Central Sector, which reaches from Dili to the town of Same, will be under Portuguese responsibility.
Talking to the press on Sunday about the Portuguese troops, the head of UNTAET said the battalion's configuration was "original and unprecedented," referring to the 300 officials, out of a total of 800, who are specialized in infrastructural reconstruction, rather than exclusively military activities.
"I hope that as we go forward with the implementation of our mandate," Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello said, "the need to deploy combat units in East Timor diminishes, and that we can enlarge our capacity to provide services to the population in areas such as engineering, logistics and medicine."
Mr. Vieira de Mello added that the Portuguese contingent would also be able to provide specialized help in strengthening UNTAET's capacity in governance and public administration which, he said, was still "very weak."
INTERFET will transfer responsibility for the enclave of Oecussi in West Timor to the United Nations tomorrow. The new battalion there will include troops from Australia and Jordan.
