SC/8812
21 August 2006
Security Council Extends Mandate of United Nations Office in Timor-Leste until 25 August, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 1703 (2006)
NEW YORK, 18 August (UN Headquarters) -- The Security Council this morning extended the mandate of the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL), which was set to expire on 20 August, until 25 August 2006.
Through the unanimous adoption of resolution 1703 (2006), the Council now has more time to consider United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's proposal for a new, "multidimensional and integrated" mission for Timor-Leste, consisting of military, police and civilian components with an initial mandate of 12 months, until after the Timor-Leste Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2007, with the intention to extend it.
The Secretary-General made his recommendations in his report to the Council on the role of the United Nations in Timor-Leste following the expiration of the mandate of UNOTIL (document S/2006/628), which the Council considered on 15 August (see Press Release SC/8810). That report had been requested in Council resolution 1690 (2006), unanimously adopted on 20 June (see Press Release SC/8757), which also extended UNOTIL's mandate until 20 August.
At the outset of the meeting, a minute of silence was observed to commemorate the third anniversary of the 19 August 2003 bombing of United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, in which 22 people had lost their lives and hundreds more had been injured.
The meeting started at 11:06 a.m. and was adjourned at 11:10 a.m.
Resolution
The full text of resolution 1703 (2006) reads as follows:
"The Security Council,
"Reaffirming its previous resolutions on the situation in Timor-Leste, in particular its resolutions 1599 (2005) of 28 April 2005, 1677 (2006) of 12 May 2006 and 1690 (2006) of 20 June 2006,
"Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General of 8 August 2006 (S/2006/628) and the report of the Secretary-General on Justice and Reconciliation for Timor-Leste of 26 July 2006 (S/2006/580),
"Taking note of the letter dated 4 August 2006 addressed to the Secretary-General from the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (S/2006/620, annex), and the letter dated 9 August 2006 addressed to the Secretary-General from the Prime Minister of the Republic of Timor-Leste (S/2006/651, annex),
"1. Decides to extend the mandate of the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) until 25 August 2006;
"2. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter."
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