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NEW
YORK—The Philippines was admitted Tuesday as a member of
the United Nations Core Group on Timor-Leste in
recognition of Manila’s contribution to the
international community’s efforts to stabilize and
rebuild the country, the Philippine Mission to the
United Nations said.
In his
report to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo,
Ambassador Hilario Davide Jr., Philippine permanent
representative, said Ambassador Dumisani Shadrack Kumalo
permanent representative of South Africa and chairman of
the Core Group, relayed the admission of the Philippines
as the group’s 11th member.
“South
Africa looks forward to working with you and your
delegation in your new role as a member of the Core
Group on Timor-Leste,” Kumalo said in the letter of
acceptance addressed to Davide. “We further look forward
to the Philippines’ contribution and participation in
assisting Timor-Leste’s nation-building efforts as a
member of the core group.”
The core
group on Timor-Leste was established in 1999 to assist
in the formulation of Security Council policies on
Timor-Leste and was originally made up of Australia,
Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United
States. The group was eventually expanded to include
Brazil,
France, Malaysia, Portugal and South Africa.
Davide
said the admission of the Philippines to the group was
in recognition of Manila’s consistent support for Timor-Leste,
which is the only other predominantly Roman Catholic
nation in Asia, since its transition to independence.
In 1999
the Philippines contributed a 600-strong humanitarian
support mission as part of the Australian-led
International Force in East Timor and then deployed more
than 700 peacekeepers to support the successor mission,
the UN Transitional Administration in
East Timor, the military component of which was initially led by Army Gen. Jaime de
los
Santos.
At
present, Timor-Leste plays host to the biggest number of
Filipino police peacekeepers deployed overseas with 131
officers from the Philippine National Police (PNP). They
are currently serving with the UN Integrated Mission in
Timor-Leste, the police component of which is led by
former PNP director Rodolfo Tor.
Besides
peacekeeping, the
Philippines
has also assisted Timor-Leste in its capacity-building
efforts, particularly in human-resource development that
included the training of East Timorese diplomats at the
Foreign Service Institute of the
Philippines. |
