15 September 2011

President of the Republic is 100% certain that UNMIT did not import bullets

East Timor Legal News 14/08/2011 Source: Jornal Diario Nacional Wednesday, 14 September 2011 - President of the Republic Jose Ramos Horta has declared that he is 100% certain that the United Nations Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) did not import two container loads of bullets into Timor-Leste.

“I can guarantee 100% that they (UNMIT) did not import bullets into Timor-Leste,” President Horta declared to journalists, shortly after having participated at the ceremony for the transformation of the banking and Payments Authority into the Timor-Leste Central Bank at Acait, Dili, Tuesday 13 September.

President Ramos Horta added, that as a sovereign nation Timor-Leste should not speak out rashly without providing proof, including knowing that in the United nations system, peace keeping forces are not given bullets by the UN but come with their own equipment.

“I have already asked the deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres, to please provide me with the information, because it was the government that spoke out about this matter, and if they speak out then they should provide the details as to whether these munitions really came or not.  Or was it just something some people dreamt up?” the Head of State said.  Horta continues not to believe that  UNMIT imported two container loads of bullets into Timor-Leste, one destined for Obrigado Barracks and the other for the International Stabilization Force, because he has not yet seen proof with his own eyes. 

"I do not know whether this has been politicized or not, I do not want to hear these messy things, I want to see these containers with my own eyes, if these containers came into Timor-Leste then I want to go and see where they are, but until now I have not them with my own eyes,” President Horta explained.

President Horta has also asked customs officials to deliver documents to his office so that he can ascertain where the two containers are now, because prior to this he heard that Prime Minister Gusmao himself took some bullets to show the United Nations, but he (Horta) doubts the veracity of this.

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