Mark Riley, New York – The United Nations Security Council will consider withdrawing troops from East Timor in four months if the security situation continues to improve.

The council has asked the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, to put forward a political and military assessment of the situation in the territory by April 30 to guide its decision on future troop numbers.

The decision was announced on Wednesday after council members voted to extend the mandate for the mission until next January, one month longer than Mr Annan had requested.

In a unanimous resolution, the Security Council said the UN must maintain "a substantial presence ... after independence". This echoed submissions last week by Australia and East Timor's newly appointed foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Jose Ramos Horta.

However, it indicates the UN will consider trimming peacekeeper numbers after April if the situation continues to improve. At present there are 7,886 peacekeepers, 1,400 police and 2,668 civilian staff.

Canberra's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Mr David Stuart, said the Australian delegation was pleased with the stipulation that any troop withdrawal would be determined solely by the security situation.