Having been active in one of the 'constituencies of support' as Ian Martin calls them, I was eager to read the perspective of a senior UN official on the period between Habibie's June 1988 announcement that Indonesia would be willing to grant East Timor wide-ranging autonomy and the arrival on 20 September 1999 of Australian-led INTERFET troops. I was not disappointed.
Ian Martin, former secretary-general of Amnesty International, acted during this period as the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the East Timor Popular Consultation. As such he has a unique perspective on both occurrences on-the-ground in East Timor during that fateful time (he was stationed in Dili and travelled extensively throughout East Timor), and on the overt and discreet diplomatic goings-on within the UN and between governments. In a mere 131 pages of text (plus several useful appendices), Martin creates a very readable and very informative narrative. His keen eye for when to go in-depth into important details and when to merely mention something in passing keeps this small book from being an exhausting or dull memoir. Yet, amazingly, he is very thorough in covering the events and in offering candid analysis of their meaning in hindsight.
Not a fan of the UN, I found his insights and candor regarding the UN in East Timor, Kosovo and other places quite educational. I grew especially to appreciate the role of Kofi Annan in East Timor's independence and in ending the murder and destruction following the 'consultation' vote. Far from a mere bureaucrat, Mr Annan apparently showed real leadership and an iron will when it was most critical to do so. One of the highlights of the book was to read Martin's description of Annan's 10 September statement to Indonesia threatening prosecution for crimes against humanity if it did not immediately request deployment of an international force to stop TMI-supported violence. The following day, Habibie phoned Annan directly 'to call for UN assistance to restore peace and security in East Timor.' (p.112)
My only disappointment in the book turns out to be a minor one: in mentioning the murders of a number of UNAMET pesonnel he fails to give their names, effectively reducing them to statistics. Earlier on, I thought he was downplaying the contribution of NGOs both in East Timor and abroad, but in a later chapter titled International Intervention, Martin describes how 'the nongovernmental East Timor solidarity network had become highly effective during the 1990s' and following the vote 'now went into overdrive.' (p. 106) Martin credits NGOs, human rights organizations, the Catholic church, and even World Bank president James Wolfensohn, who wrote to Habibie less than a week after the vote that 'For the international financial community to be able to continue its full support, it is critical that you act swiftly to restore order, and that your government carry through on its public commitment to honor the referendum outcome.' (p. 108)
This is an excellent book and the International Peace Academy is to be commended for requesting and publishing it.
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