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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DILI 000009 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON ETRD TT ASEC
SUBJECT: NEW UN REP ARRIVES AS DRAWDOWN ASSESSMENT STARTS 
 
DILI 00000009  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: Ms. Ameerah Haq, the new Special Representative of 
the UN Secretary-General to Timor-Leste (SRSG), took up her post 
on January 6, 2010.  One of her first tasks is to assist the UN 
Technical Assessment Mission that is in Dili from January 11-18 
to make recommendations on drawing down the UN's presence in 
Timor-Leste by 2012.  In an introductory call on the Ambassador, 
Haq expressed concern about the readiness of the Timorese police 
to resume full law enforcement responsibilities from UN police. 
That said, she acknowledged the general consensus locally that 
full police command responsibilities should be returned to the 
Timorese by end-2010.  Recognizing that a significant downsizing 
of the UN presence would be the major objective of her tenure in 
Timor-Leste, Haq emphasized the importance of her role as 
providing good offices to all key players and stakeholders.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
¶2.  Ms. Ameerah Haq, the Special Representative of the UN 
Secretary-General (SRSG) and the head of the UN Mission in 
Timor-Leste (UNMIT), formally began her duties on January 6, 
replacing Atul Khare as the ranking UN official in Timor-Leste. 
Haq's tenure began three days before the arrival of a 34-person 
Technical Assessment Mission (TAM) from UN headquarters in New 
York, led by a previous SRSG, Ian Martin.  The TAM is tasked 
with carrying out a full assessment of UNMIT's size and 
composition.  Its input is designed to inform the 
Secretary-General's report to the UN Security Council when it 
considers a renewal of UNMIT's mandate, which expires on 
February 26, 2010. 
 
 
 
Key Concern is Security Sector 
 
 
 
¶3. Haq paid an introductory courtesy call on Ambassador Klemm on 
January 12.  She reported receiving a warm welcome thus far, 
having already met with all of the country's senior political 
leaders. 
 
 
 
¶4. Haq indicated that her key concern is the security sector. 
The December 28 killing of a Timorese youth by a national police 
(PNTL) officer typified the murky command and control procedures 
that raise worries about police abuse.  Haq noted that the 
generally improved security conditions witnessed in recent years 
enable the consideration of a continued drawdown of UN 
peacekeepers and International Stabilization Force (ISF) troop 
levels, but underscored that the foundation still had to be laid 
for systematic stability going forward.  Haq shared that, among 
her conversations thus far, FRETILIN opposition leader Mari 
Alkatiri was the most worried about the UN's departure timetable 
being too precipitous. 
 
 
 
¶5. Ambassador Klemm described President Ramos-Horta's proposal 
for a full handover of police command responsibilities from the 
UN to the PNTL by the end of 2010, including a PNTL resumption 
of policing authority in Dili by June 2010.  Ramos-Horta's 
logic, which the Ambassador assessed as sound, is for the PNTL 
to develop experience and confidence in its own command 
abilities well in advance of the next major security challenge 
on the horizon - the Presidential and Parliamentary elections 
expected in 2012.  The Ambassador emphasized that a well-thought 
out monitoring program for UN peacekeepers (UNPOL) remaining in 
Timor-Leste should accompany that handover schedule.  He also 
encouraged an independent needs assessment of the PNTL as an 
institution, so that the bilateral partners that will 
necessarily be taking the lead on security sector assistance 
once the UN departs will know what the PNTL's key training and 
capacity needs are.  Haq agreed that the PNTL's priority 
shortcomings at present are in investigatory capacity, 
discipline and professional ethics, and logistics. 
 
 
 
 
DILI 00000009  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
Medium and Long Term Factors 
 
 
 
¶6.  The Ambassador expressed his general optimism about 
Timor-Leste's prospects into the medium term, but identified 
three primary risk factors.  The first is continued shrill 
political rhetoric, which in the past has been destructive.  The 
second risk factor is the capacity of the security institutions; 
some reforms are complete but many shortcomings remain. 
Finally, there is a potential confrontation between rising 
expectations about the country's development potential and its 
continued severe poverty and high unemployment.  Food riots in 
2007 were one example of this tension between expectations and 
disappointing reality. 
 
 
 
¶7.  For the long term, the Ambassador expressed more concern. 
It remains unclear what Timor-Leste's sources of long-term 
economic growth will be.  The country's infrastructure needs are 
great but progress on improvements is slow.  The government has 
not formulated a strategy for how the country will integrate 
into the regional and global economy.  Weak human capital is a 
real constraint on the country's development, one which is 
exacerbated by an unhelpful language situation (four main 
languages coexist uneasily in a country of just over one million 
people) that hinders the educational system.  The Ambassador 
quoted President Ramos-Horta's complaint that Timor-Leste had 
little to show for the $3 billion in foreign assistance it has 
received since 1999, and wondered if, absent progress on 
long-term factors, leaders would be asking the same question in 
ten years time. 
 
 
 
UN Assessment Mission and Drawdown 
 
 
 
¶8. Haq said the UN TAM is likely to recommend a gradual phase 
down of the UN presence over the next three years.  A smaller, 
political office would remain in country after the peacekeeping 
mission ends, to coordinate the work of the UN development 
agencies with an ongoing presence.  The TAM team is scheduled to 
be in Dili until January 18 and time constraints may make it 
difficult for it to submit its report in time for the UN 
Security Council to renew UNMIT's annual mandate before it 
expires at the end of February.  Haq thought the Security 
Council might consider a technical rollover of the mission's 
mandate for one month, so it could consider a full report of the 
TAM visit in March.  (Ian Martin shared with the Ambassador on 
January 13 that the inclination now at UN headquarters was to 
accelerate the drafting of the TAM and Secretary-General's 
reports to enable a Security Council mandate review by end 
February as currently scheduled.) 
 
 
 
Official Bio Data 
 
 
 
¶9.  Ms. Ameerah Haq most recently served as Deputy Special 
Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan as well as the 
United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator 
for Sudan (2007-2009), and, before that, as Deputy Special 
Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, as well 
as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian 
Coordinator for Afghanistan (2004-2007).  Her broad management 
experience in supporting complex mission deployment activities 
will greatly contribute to her new role at UNMIT. 
 
 
 
¶10.  She was formerly the Deputy Assistant Administrator and 
Deputy Director of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery 
at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Headquarters in 
New York.  She served as the United Nations Resident Coordinator 
and UNDP Resident Representative in Malaysia from 1994 to 1997 
 
DILI 00000009  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
and in the same capacity in Laos from 1991 to 1994. 
 
 
 
¶11.  Ms. Haq worked in the Regional Bureau for Asia and the 
Pacific at UNDP Headquarters in various capacities from 
1980-1990, which included responsibilities for aid coordination 
mechanisms and as Desk Officer for Thailand, Myanmar and Bhutan. 
 She also had an assignment with the United Nations Development 
Fund for Women (UNIFEM) from 1985 to 1987.  She started her 
career in 1976 as a Junior Professional Officer in Jakarta, 
Indonesia and was transferred to Afghanistan as Assistant 
Resident Representative in 1978. 
 
 
 
¶12.  Ms. Haq holds master's degrees in community organization 
and planning and in business administration from Columbia 
University and New York University, respectively.  She completed 
a Bachelor of Arts at Western College in Oxford, Ohio. 
KLEMM