United Nations – The United States said Monday it opposes Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendation for a one-year extension of the UN peacekeeping mission in East Timor, saying there is no longer a threat to peace between the tiny country and its powerful neighbor Indonesia.

At an open Security Council meeting, East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta appealed to members for a final yearlong extension to strengthen the fledgling military, police, and government institutions.

"I am... sure that you do not want to be remembered by the East Timorese as having turned down a last request, a very modest one, but a critical one," he said.

The people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia in 1999, unleashing a wave of killing, looting and burning by the Indonesian military and its proxy militias that displaced 300,000 people.

For 2 1/2 years, the United Nations administered the territory, then handed it to the Timorese in May 2002. A UN mission has remained.

Many council members were sympathetic to Annan's recommendation to keep a scaled-down mission, though European Union members did not specify whether it should be a peacekeeping mission with troops or a civilian peace-building mission.

In a report to the council last week, Annan called for about 275 military personnel, police trainers, civilian advisers and human rights officers to remain in East Timor until May 2006, along with a small staff for the UN

representative. The mission currently has about 900 military, police and international civilian staff.

"The need to continue to support Timorese institution-building efforts remains critical, so as to protect the gains made until now," he said, warning that a pullout in May could affect the nation's security and stability.

But Reed Fendrick, a senior US diplomat, made clear that Washington wants the peacekeeping mission wrapped up on schedule in May. He did not rule out a non-peacekeeping mission.

"There is no longer a threat to international peace and security requiring a peacekeeping mission, and relations between East Timor and Indonesia are improving," he said.

He said the United States would be open to considering a political mission for a limited period to focus on the country's most critical needs.

The United States pays about 25 percent of UN peacekeeping operations, so US opposition to extending the current mission would likely mean an end to the military component.

Sukehiro Hasegawa, the UN special representative to East Timor, warned the council on Monday that if the UN military and police are withdrawn on schedule "the country may face insurmountable challenges in its path towards peace and stability."

Ramos Horta urged the council to increase the numbers Annan proposed for the scaled-down mission.