Rory Callinan – Australia should set a date for withdrawing its forces from East Timor as the situation has improved and Dili is disregarding UN advice.
The call comes from the International Crisis Group. In a report, "Timor-Leste – Time for the United Nations to step back", the Geneva-based think tank criticised the UN's strategies and warned that contributing nations were wasting time and money on policing operations.
The 1485-strong UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste has been gradually handing over control of districts to local authorities with a deadline of next March.
Australia's contribution includes 400 troops, comprising the bulk of the International Stabilisation Force, as well as 80 federal police, 50 of whom are part of UNMIT and 30 training and advising local police.
The ICG report said even though the peacekeeping operation was due to end in December 2012, it was clear such a large mission was not tailored to the country's needs. The presence of the joint Australia-New Zealand ISF needed to be reconsidered, as the force was now smaller and no longer went out on patrol at the request of the East Timorese government.
ISF's role was a politically contested issue, with local politicians questioning its legality given parliament had not ratified a status of forces agreement.
A Defence Department spokesman said Dili had not advised Canberra of any legal issues with regard to the ISF.
The ICG report said the UN should reduce the police contingent by at least half and strike an agreement with Dili on a more limited mandate for UNMIT. Without such an accord, the international community was wasting time and money and needed to consider ending this role as quickly as possible.
The East Timorese had for years ignored UN advice on reforming the security services. Local authorities had failed to deal appropriately with those accused of the 2006 insurrection that led to the return of Australian peacekeepers and the 2008 assassination attempts on Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and President Jose Ramos-Horta.
UNMIT spokesman Carlos Araujo said the call for reduced police presence was a matter for the UN Security Council and the East Timorese government.