The United Nations formally assumed control of East Timor on Tuesday, a key step in the devastated territory's transition to independence after nearly a quarter-century of Indonesian rule. Members of the U.N. transition team said they face huge challenges as the international community moves from keeping the peace to rebuilding a society ravaged by violence that broke out last month following East Timor's independence referendum.
Building materials are in short supply and the rainy season is setting in.
He assumed his duties hours after the U.N. Security Council's unanimous approval of the takeover. The handover of power puts the former Portuguese colony on the road to long-sought independence and effectively marks the end of a bloody guerrilla war that for decades frustrated international mediation efforts. The U.N. resolution gave the transition team sweeping powers and authorized a 9,150-member force to replace the multinational force that moved in five weeks ago. A 1,640-strong international police force also will be dispatched. Many of the nations involved in the current peacekeeping effort will also be part of the new U.N. force, said peacekeeping spokesman Col.