A United Nations TransitionalAuthority inEast Timor (UNTAET) was established by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1272 on October 25, 1999, to assistin thetransition to independence. UNTAET Functions and Staffing

UNTAET's mandate has both a military and civilian component. U.N. officials had talked of independence by the end of 2001, butstatementsin June 2001 suggested that independence might be postponed until an indigenous East Timorese administrationisfunctioning fully. The composition East TimoreseinWest Timor include East Timorese who want to return to East Timor, but it also includes East Timorese who are Indonesian civil servants and members of the Indonesian military. A likely emerging issue is the status of displaced East Timorese in Indonesia in East Timor's forthcoming elections inpreparation for independence. Most of these people legally would be eligible to vote, but it is unlikely thatIndonesianauthorities and the militia groups would allow the United Nations to conduct elections in the camps in West Timor. U.S. Humanitarian Assistance

Since the advent of the UNTAET, U.S. assistance to East Timor has included both disaster assistance to thedisplaced andto the refugees in West Timor as well as reconstruction and development assistance in East Timor. It has received pledges of over $167.4 million for the 2000-2002 period. The BushAdministration requested $10 million for bilateral assistance for FY2002. Continuing Threats from Indonesia

With the withdrawal of the Indonesian military (TNI) from East Timor in October 1999, the East Timoresemilitia groupsalso withdrew across the border into West Timor. There they regrouped. A spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping force stated in September 2000 that tenwell-armedmilitia groups, of 5 to 30 men each, had infiltrated. Attempts to Prosecute TNI and Militia Members

As international observers saw firsthand the killings and destruction in East Timor caused by the TNI-backedEastTimorese militia in September 1999, demands arose for prosecution of militia leaders and Indonesian militaryofficersinvolved in instigating the violence. One issue will be future levels of U.S. economic aid. U.N. policy toward East Timor when the current United Nations administration ends and East Timor becomesindependent. Instructions to the Bush Administration call for U.S. support for aid to East Timor frominternationalfinancial institutions, the establishment of Peace Corps programs in East Timor, and the initiation of U.S. trade andinvestment promotion programs for East Timor (General System of Preferences, Overseas Private InvestmentCorporation,and Export-Import Bank programs).
A United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor (UNTAET) was established in October 1999 following the entranceof U.N.-sponsored international peacekeepers into East Timor. These measures came in response toIndonesian-instigatedviolence against East Timorese who had voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia in a referendumofAugust 30, 1999. UNTAET's mandate is broad. It is to help East Timor recover from the violence throughhumanitarianaid and reconstruction of facilities that were damaged or destroyed. It is to help East Timor establish a functioninggovernment, which will take over from the United Nations when East Timor formally becomes independent. Independenceis estimated for the end of 2001, but recent statements by U.N. officials suggest that it could be postponed. TheUnitedNations also has been involved in Indonesian West Timor in assisting about 240,000 displaced East Timorese whofled orwere forcibly transported to West Timor during the violence.
The U.N. operations are financed through assessments on all member nations and voluntary contributions from governments. Current funding levels are to cover the period 2000-2002. The U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopmentprovided $29 million in FY2000 and $25 million in FY2001 in bilateral assistance. U.S. aid is helping to establishajudicial system, train civil servants, assist local radio and television programming, educate voters, and assist thecoffeeindustry (East Timor's main export). The Bush Administration requested $10 million for FY2002, but Congressalreadyhas indicated that $25 million may be appropriated.
East Timor faces a continuing threat from Indonesia. East Timorese militia groups, who committed much of the violencein September 1999, regrouped in West Timor after the establishment of UNTAET. They controlled the campshousingdisplaced East Timorese, preventing many from returning home. In August 2000, militia members murdered U.N.workersin the camps. The militia rearmed with assistance from the Indonesian military, and they infiltrated back into EastTimor. The Indonesian military also has resisted attempts to bring to trial military officers and militia leaders responsiblefor theviolence of September 1999.
The United States faces several policy issues: levels of future aid to East Timor, the U.S. role in assisting an indigenousEast Timorese military force, and influencing Indonesian policy toward East Timor.