Paul Toohey – The UN will wait until February to consider whether it will continue its peacekeeping mission in East Timor, despite President Jose Ramos Horta asking it to commit until at least 2012.

Mr Ramos Horta, still recovering from being shot in February, views his country as volatile despite the apparent calm following the surrender of rebels a fortnight ago.

"I want to play safe," Mr Ramos Horta told the BBC yesterday. "I don't want to, for sake of patriotism, pride, that we should ask, sorry, now you can leave. We should be very cautious. That's why I have said to the UN we need UN police here for at least five years – up to 2012."

UN spokeswoman Allison Cooper said her organisation had to consider the President's request "in the context of peacekeeping commitments globally".

"We currently have a mandate though to February 2009," Ms Cooper said. "We had a 12-month extension in February this year. We will have to report back to the Security Council in February next year and provide a report of progress and they will consider and vote on it. They will decide whether to trim back or reduce the mandate in certain areas, based upon our recommendations."

The UN has a mandated strength of 1748 police officers for East Timor, with 1500 in the country at any time. They come from 41 countries and 50 are Australians. They also have 438 international staff, 933 national staff and 134 volunteers.

"The peacekeepers here are police, with no military component, unlike the UN's military component in Dafur," Ms Cooper said. "The Security Council will listen to the mission and take into account requests from the President. They will hear what Jose Ramos Horta has said."

Australia has 750 troops in East Timor as part of its International Stabilisation Force, though that was lifted by 200 immediately after Mr Ramos Horta was shot. In late April, those extra troops returned home once the country was deemed secure.

Mr Ramos Horta also told the BBC he wanted the Australians to stay until at least next year, though that is a commitment Kevin Rudd appeared to give on his visit to Dili in the days after the President was shot.