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East Timor asks for Australian troops
East Timor's foreign minister says his country will invite Australian peacekeepers to restore calm, after a second day of fighting around the capital Dili.
Jose Ramos Horta said a meeting of East Timorese government officials had decided to ask four countries for help. The countries were Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal.
Australia would be asked to provide police and a "small but credible" force of troops. It was hoped they could be on the ground in the next 2-3 days, Mr Ramos Horta told the ABC's 7:30 Report.
However, Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said no formal request had been received and Australia was more likely to send troops than police.
"We do need to have a formal request, by way of a request in writing signed by the president, and by the prime minister, and ideally by the speaker of parliament," Mr Downer told the ABC.
He said the situation on the ground meant sending troops would be preferable.
"I think it's much less likely we would be sending police in the near future," Mr Downer said. "I think it's more likely that if we send anybody, we'll send troops."
He said additional formalities were required, such as agreement on the rules under which foreign troops would operate.
"We would need to have with the East Timorese, a status of forces agreement," Mr Downer said.
The size of the force would also depend on the East Timorese request.
"We'd be looking at something in the vicinity of a battalion, or perhaps a battalion group," Mr Downer said.
Mr Ramos Horta predicted Australian troops would have "an immediate calming effect throughout the country" and would be unlikely to face hostile fire.
"We do not anticipate that either the police or the defence force will have to engage in any hostile activity," Mr Ramos Horta said.
"I view these as preventative measures to prevent the country sliding further into instability."
Portugal was likely to provide a police unit that had served overseas before, including in Iraq, Mr Ramos Horta added. He said he had been talking with rebel troops.
At least one person was killed yesterday in the violence, which began with rioting earlier this month after 600 troops were dismissed from the fledgling nation's military.
Royal Australian Navy vessels the HMAS Kanimbla and HMAS Manoora were stationed off the coast of Darwin earlier today, in anticipation of the East Timorese request.
Courtesy of www.yahoo.com.au
Word around the traps is the Naval fleet has already set sail and will be off the coast of Dili by 6.00am Australian time. (About 5hrs from now).
Apparently 1 RAR, 2 RAR, 3/4 Cav Regt and 2nd Cav Regt plus a specwarrie contingent and support elements have got the "gig"...
They might even have a few contacts over there too. This is the closest thing we've had to a force on force fight since the "heady days" of Interfet and that "misunderstanding" on the border of West Timor that left the TNI (Indonesian Army) 5-nil down against 2RAR...
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East Timor's foreign minister says his country will invite Australian peacekeepers to restore calm, after a second day of fighting around the capital Dili.
Jose Ramos Horta said a meeting of East Timorese government officials had decided to ask four countries for help. The countries were Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal.
Australia would be asked to provide police and a "small but credible" force of troops. It was hoped they could be on the ground in the next 2-3 days, Mr Ramos Horta told the ABC's 7:30 Report.
However, Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said no formal request had been received and Australia was more likely to send troops than police.
"We do need to have a formal request, by way of a request in writing signed by the president, and by the prime minister, and ideally by the speaker of parliament," Mr Downer told the ABC.
He said the situation on the ground meant sending troops would be preferable.
"I think it's much less likely we would be sending police in the near future," Mr Downer said. "I think it's more likely that if we send anybody, we'll send troops."
He said additional formalities were required, such as agreement on the rules under which foreign troops would operate.
"We would need to have with the East Timorese, a status of forces agreement," Mr Downer said.
The size of the force would also depend on the East Timorese request.
"We'd be looking at something in the vicinity of a battalion, or perhaps a battalion group," Mr Downer said.
Mr Ramos Horta predicted Australian troops would have "an immediate calming effect throughout the country" and would be unlikely to face hostile fire.
"We do not anticipate that either the police or the defence force will have to engage in any hostile activity," Mr Ramos Horta said.
"I view these as preventative measures to prevent the country sliding further into instability."
Portugal was likely to provide a police unit that had served overseas before, including in Iraq, Mr Ramos Horta added. He said he had been talking with rebel troops.
At least one person was killed yesterday in the violence, which began with rioting earlier this month after 600 troops were dismissed from the fledgling nation's military.
Royal Australian Navy vessels the HMAS Kanimbla and HMAS Manoora were stationed off the coast of Darwin earlier today, in anticipation of the East Timorese request.
Courtesy of www.yahoo.com.au
Word around the traps is the Naval fleet has already set sail and will be off the coast of Dili by 6.00am Australian time. (About 5hrs from now).
Apparently 1 RAR, 2 RAR, 3/4 Cav Regt and 2nd Cav Regt plus a specwarrie contingent and support elements have got the "gig"...
They might even have a few contacts over there too. This is the closest thing we've had to a force on force fight since the "heady days" of Interfet and that "misunderstanding" on the border of West Timor that left the TNI (Indonesian Army) 5-nil down against 2RAR...
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