30 August 1999
Press Release
SG/SM/7111
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IN MESSAGE ON EVE OF EAST TIMOR CONSULTATION, SECRETARY- GENERAL STRESSES PEACE, RESTRAINT AND TOLERANCE
19990830
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Following is the text of the message of Secretary- General Kofi Annan to the people of East Timor on the eve of the
popular consultation there:
I wish to extend my warmest greetings to the people of East Timor on the eve of the consultation on your future. Allow
me, first, to congratulate you for having registered in such large numbers, and having done so with such remarkable
patience, courage and dedication to ensuring a better future for your children. I trust that you will follow up the
successful registration process with a successful, inclusive and peaceful voting process at the 200 polling centres run
by United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET).
When I had the privilege of addressing you in June, in advance of the registration, I said that the "popular
consultation is not about winning or losing a competition. It is your chance to settle the question of East Timor
peacefully. It is your opportunity to launch a new era of reconciliation". So far, the international community has been
extraordinarily impressed with how you have seized on this chance to determine your future. It is important that the day
of voting be a day of peace and calm so that you may all vote in secret, without any fear or hindrance. The Indonesian
authorities, and in particular, the Indonesian police force are responsible for ensuring a peaceful, proper environment.
I appeal to them to do their part to ensure a process that fulfils the commitments of their Government to the United
Nations and to the world at large.
Let me remind you, as I did in June, that the secrecy of the ballot is a sacred obligation for the United Nations. The
UNAMET will ensure that all the ballots are brought to Dili to ensure an orderly count, which may take up to seven days
before all votes are verified, and results can be announced. I salute the leaders on both sides who have pledged to
respect the outcome of the ballot, and expect them to match their words with deeds in the weeks to come. Restraint and
tolerance are of critical importance
during the period following the vote. Remember, above all, the choice before you is either acceptance or rejection of
the autonomy proposal. Whatever the outcome, peace remains a prize that must be shared by all East Timorese. The UNAMET
is committed to securing that peace today, and in the future. It will remain in East Timor after the ballot to carry out
its responsibilities in ensuring the result of the vote is properly implemented. Of that, you can be assured.
Ultimately, however, it is you, the people of East Timor, who must seize the opportunity of this consultation. You must
embark on the process of reconciliation in order to ensure a better future, regardless of the outcome of tomorrow's
ballot.
ENDS