Security Council meets privately on East Timor elections, urges large voter turn-out

Security Council members today voiced their support to the ongoing electoral campaign in East Timor, echoing the sentiments of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who earlier this week had urged a large voter turn-out for the 30 August elections.

"Speakers encouraged a continued spirit of peace, democracy and tolerance throughout the electoral process and beyond," Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia, the 15-member body's current president, said in a communiqué issued after the Council had held a private meeting in its chambers to discuss the situation in East Timor. In additional to Council members, representatives of 17 countries who had requested to participate also took part in the meeting without the right to vote.

During the meeting, the participants were briefed by UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi.

"Mr. Annabi informed the Council that the electoral campaign so far had been conducted in a peaceful manner," the communiqué said. "Political parties and the population at large had shown strong support for the pact of national unity."

The speakers also expressed their belief that the peaceful conduct of the elections would be "a major step towards East Timor's independence," the statement said.

Meanwhile in Dili, the head of the UN mission in East Timor, Sergio Vieira de Mello, has declared that campaigning will end next Tuesday, two days prior to the elections, and that the final national results will be announced by the Independent Electoral Commission on Monday 10 September.

A high turnout is expected, with more than 400,000 voters registered and 819 polling stations and 248 polling centres to be in operation on election day.