THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Aboard Air Force One en route Washington, D.C.)
For Immediate Release September 15, 1999
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Late last night, the UN Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1264, which authorizes a multinational force
to restore stability in East Timor, at the invitation of the Indonesian government. Now we must move with purpose and
dispatch to protect the innocent people whose lives are still threatened by those seeking to overturn the results of a
fair vote. I welcome the passage of Resolution 1264, and look forward to working with the Government of Australia and
others in the international community to put together an effective force. I have just been briefed by Admiral Blair of
CINCPAC on our close cooperation with Australia, and I hope the force can deploy in a matter of days. The United States
is prepared to contribute to this operation, and we are discussing with our Australian allies and the Congress an
appropriate U.S. role.
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