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 UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council must be prepared to commit peacekeepers to East Timor for many years if it orders forces back to the shattered nation as expected, a U.N. envoy said Wednesday.
In a private briefing to the council, Ian Martin outlined the scope of such a mission. Among other things, it would require police units backed by a rapid response force, a military presence through East Timor's elections next year, and advisers to help with that vote.
East Timor was thrown into crisis in March after the dismissal of 600 soldiers, who then battled loyalist troops in the streets of the capital. Unrest spilled over into gang warfare and widespread looting and arson. At least 30 people were killed and 150,000 forced from their homes.
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