[Kabar-indonesia] Wolfowitz: World Ready to Aid Damaged Dili - 'Reasons for optimism'

[Joyo at aol.com]

[this article is being re-sent for those who may have 
missed it the first time--when it was included with 
another article--and may not have been noticed]

The Australian
June 23, 2006

Opinion

World Ready to Aid Damaged Dili

Healing the wounds of East Timor's crisis will be a
substantial challenge, but there's reason to be optimistic

by Paul Wolfowitz

EAST Timor faces a difficult path. At least 65,000
people remain displaced in the capital, Dili, and
another 78,000 have left for the districts. Not only
have many houses once again been burnt and thousands
of people forced to flee their homes, but confidence
in the institutions of the state, including the police
and the armed forces, has been badly shaken.
Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Portugal moved
quickly to send forces to help restore peace in East
Timor. But the speed and strength of East Timor's
recovery depends almost entirely on the people and the
leaders of this first new country of the 21st century.


The people of East Timor, having shown so much courage
and suffered so much in the past, should not face new
suffering due to internal conflicts. East Timor has
requested the UN to establish a commission of inquiry
into the violence. 

This is an important first step. Timorese society
needs to draw a clear line to signal that resolving
conflicts by violent means is not acceptable in their
new democracy. 

Healing the wounds of this crisis will be a
substantial challenge. An inclusive approach to
recovery is needed, one that builds bridges among the
presidency, the government and key institutions such
as the church. Now is a time to put aside partisan
political interests; a time for East Timor's leaders
at the national and community level to work together
to heal society's divisions and chart a way forward in
the interests of the country as a whole. 

Reflection among East Timor leadership and society on
what has led to this crisis is important. The
international community must also evaluate its efforts
and make the changes needed to our assistance
programs. We cannot go back to business as usual. A
new understanding between East Timor and the
international community is needed to address the
causes of the conflict and support long-term
peace-building. 

East Timor can recover. It surprised the world in the
past six years by the way it recovered from traumatic
history. The accomplishments of recent years must not
be lost. Some Timorese public institutions, such as
the health and social protection agencies, are playing
a critical role in catering to the humanitarian needs
of the population, a role that would have been
unimaginable in 1999 when the state had collapsed. And
for the long term, a well-governed Petroleum Fund is
in place that ensures revenues flowing to the country
from Timor Sea gas reserves are transparently managed
for generations to come. 

East Timor's citizens have learned new skills and
capacities in the past six years that will stand them
in good stead to face the challenges ahead. All actors
in East Timor need to take responsibility in following
through on this chance for peaceful recovery. The
World Bank, along with the rest of the international
donor community, stands ready to assist in any way we
can. This chance for a united approach to peace and
recovery may not come again. 

Paul Wolfowitz is president of the World Bank.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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