Irwin Arieff, United Nations – The tiny Southeast Asian nation of East Timor, the first country to be born in the 21st century, won a seat at the United Nations on Friday, swelling the world body's membership to 191.
The UN General Assembly welcomed East Timor – which gained independence four months ago after breaking away from Indonesia following a bloody conflict – as its newest member by acclamation.
"We wish the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste [East Timor] and its people peace, prosperity and every success in their future, and I warmly welcome Timor-Leste to the United Nations," General Assembly President Jan Kavan of the Czech Republic said after the vote.
President Xanana Gusmao told the chamber he represented "a small people of great dignity and extraordinary bravery in the past, driven by total commitment to the present, and filled with great confidence in the future." "As it is told in our legend, we are today transformed and treading firmly on our land and sailing safely in our sea, for we are now identified as a sovereign and independent nation, as a member of the international community," Gusmao said.
Before independence, he spent 17 years as a resistance fighter against Indonesian rule and was jailed by Indonesia for seven years in the 1990s.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, congratulating the young nation as its flag was raised at UN headquarters, said East Timor's long independence struggle "showed that greatness among nations is not a matter of size or resources." "None of us who followed Timor-Leste's long struggle for self-determination can help being moved by this moment. None of us can forget the sacrifices made by the people or the courage of its leadership," Annan said.
The flag features a white star on a red, black and yellow background and symbolizes East Timor's quest for independence and peace.
The former Pacific territory joined the United Nations just weeks after Switzerland, which was approved on September 10 after the Swiss voted to seek membership in a March referendum. Independence for East Timor capped nearly three years of UN administration, centuries of colonization by Portugal and 24 years of occupation by Indonesia.
A UN peacekeeping mission remains active there as the country grooms new leaders to assume its responsibilities.
East Timor came under UN rule a few months after its people voted overwhelmingly in an August 1999 independence referendum to break free from Indonesia, which seized the territory in 1975 after Portugal pulled out.
About 1,000 East Timorese died after the independence vote when gangs organized by the Indonesian military went on a rampage, looting, killing and burning down buildings.
Australia, with Indonesia's consent, then sent in troops to establish order until the United Nations could organize a peacekeeping force to take over.
In a sign of their changing relationship, Gusmao noted that Indonesia, Australia and Portugal had joined in sponsoring East Timor's membership.
He told reporters after the General Assembly vote that he felt "overwhelmed by the difficult challenges before us" as well as proud of his country's achievements.
The half-island nation of 760,000 people is Asia's most impoverished, and the 20th poorest in the world.
Average life expectancy is 57 years, and East Timor's economy has been hard hit by a global coffee glut although the government hopes to spur development with the proceeds of offshore natural gas deposits.