UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has recommended that a scaled-down peacekeeping mission remain in East Timor for an extra year. In a report to the UN Security Council, he warned that any premature departure could endanger the nation's stability. The council voted last year for what was supposed to be the final extension of the mission, until May 2005. Mr Annan praised East Timor's efforts since breaking away from Indonesia in 1999, but said more help was needed.

He called for the number of peacekeepers in the country to be more than halved, to fewer than 200, but for them to remain in the fledgling nation until May 2006. The UN currently has 477 military personnel in the mission, compared to more than 10,000 when it was first established in 1999, to restore order after militia helped by the Indonesian military waged a bloody campaign after a vote for independence from Jakarta.

Mr Annan said: "The achievements that the people of East Timor have made in building their own country in the short period since 1999 are truly remarkable. "Nevertheless, the need to continue to support Timorese institution-building efforts remains critical, so as to protect the gains made until now."

East Timor still needs international assistance to control its border with Indonesia, develop a professional police force and help with democracy and human rights, Mr Annan said. His request came a day after East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta said he would ask for continued international support at a meeting at UN headquarters next week.

The country gained independence in May 2002 after more than two years of UN administration. International concerns have been raised over the failure to bring those responsible for human rights abuses during the independence struggle. But East Timor has played down the lack of convictions, and has instead stressed the importance of building good relations with Jakarta.

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