UNITED NATIONS, Feb 25 (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Monday extended for another year the mandate for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in East Timor, saying the security and humanitarian situation in the country remained fragile. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in East Timor, called UNMIT, is authorized to deploy up to 1,608 police and nearly three dozen military personnel. The mandate, which was due to expire on Tuesday, has been extended until Feb. 26, 2009. The South African-drafted resolution, which was unanimously approved by the Security Council, reiterated its condemnation of the attempted assassination of East Timorese President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta two weeks ago. The resolution of the 15-nation council also said that "the political, security, social, and humanitarian situation in Timor-Leste (East Timor) remains fragile" and urged all interested parties in the country to shun violence and pursue peaceful dialogue to resolve all disagreements. The resolution also urged the government to continue working with UNMIT on a comprehensive review of the security sector in East Timor and its future security needs. Ramos-Horta was shot and seriously wounded at his home in the capital Dili in an assassination attempt by rebel soldiers on Feb. 11. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao escaped injury in another shooting on the same day. The former Portuguese colony of almost 1 million people gained full independence in 2002 after a U.N.-sponsored vote in 1999, which was marred by violence, ended more than two decades of Indonesian occupation. The Asia-Pacific country has been struggling to get back on its feet after the army tore apart along regional lines in 2006.(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Bill Trott)
Police arrest student protesters during a rally against the visit by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to Indonesia outside the U.S embassy in Jakarta February 25, 2008. REUTERS/Dadang Tri (INDONESIA) ...
