61 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his assessment of the situation in East Timor. [25474/99]

87 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position in regard to measures to safeguard human rights in East Timor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25775/99]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 61 and 87 together.

As I indicated in my reply to questions on East Timor on 2 November, the final withdrawal of Indonesian forces was completed at the end of October. Since then the security situation has improved further throughout the territory, including in the enclave of Oecussi, which is surrounded by West Timor. The INTERFET force continued to be built up and the total now numbers approximately 9,500. The Irish contingent with INTERFET is actively involved in the Suai area, which is close to the border with West Timor, and their performance has been recognised and is highly appreciated.