Global Policy Forum

U.N. Security Council commended the people of East Timor for holding peaceful presidential elections but expressed concern Wednesday over the volatile security situation in the tiny southeast Asian nation. "The Security Council congratulates the Timorese people for demonstrating their strong commitment to peace and democracy, and commends the presidential candidates for the peaceful manner in which they conducted their campaigns," the council said in a presidential statement. But the council also expressed "its concern over the still fragile and volatile security, political, social and humanitarian situation in East Timor."

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta was sworn in as East Timor's president Sunday, beating out seven other candidates following two rounds of elections in April and May. He vowed to unite the desperately poor nation more than a year after violence brought down its young government, left 37 people dead and sent more than 150,000 fleeing their homes in the capital, Dili. Ramos-Horta's decisive victory has led to hopes of an era of stability.

But hours after he took the oath of office, a clash in the capital reportedly left at least one man dead and several others wounded, according to police and hospital officials. United Nations peacekeepers were deployed to help restore order. The Security Council called on the Timorese government to continue to confront the political and social challenges facing the country, including poverty.

The country will hold Parliamentary elections on June 30, and the council urged all parties to ensure these elections are free and fair. The U.N. mission in East Timor will aid in the electoral process. Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975 and ruled the tiny half-island territory until 1999, when a U.N.-organized plebiscite resulted in an overwhelming vote for independence. Withdrawing Indonesian troops and their militia auxiliaries destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and killed at least 1,500 people. The U.N. sent a peacekeeping force and administered the territory for 2 1/2 years, then handed it to the Timorese on May 20, 2002.