During a visit to this capital, the High Representative stressed that the Asian nation has taken its destiny into its own hands.
He stressed that “the United Nations will continue to support the aspirations of the Timorese people on the way forward.”
The UN Secretary-General added that the consultation represents a historic milestone and a call for unity and celebration of the collective past.
The referendum was held on August 30, 1999, organized by the United Nations mission in the country and supported by then-Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
This process was initiated at the request of B.J. Habibie, then President of Indonesia, and voters could choose between greater autonomy within Indonesia or independence for East Timor.
In statements to the press, Guterres considered that this experiment was possible in a world where geopolitical divisions were not as they are today.
The head of the body noted that the Security Council subsequently met and voted unanimously in favour of the intervention led by Australia and accepted by Indonesia.
“I doubt that a similar situation today would lead to the same result; and given the geopolitical divisions that exist, I doubt that the Security Council would vote unanimously and that the conditions for acceptance of an intervention of this kind would be created.”
The veteran diplomat described the world as a place of “almost total impunity,” with no respect for the UN Charter or international law.
“We see that wars continue and the international community has shown its inability to resolve them,” he warned, referring to ongoing conflicts in Sudan, Gaza, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar.
Omani Riyal/EBR
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