East Timor's premier Jose Ramos-Horta defended on Saturday his government's decision to turn down an offer of a UN military peacekeeping force, keeping Australian and New Zealand forces on instead.
Parliament voted Friday in favour of a UN peacekeeping force to cope with ongoing civil unrest, but also said it was prepared to consider bilateral and trilateral military arrangements, the prime minister said in a statement.
Some 3,200 Australian-led regional forces were deployed to the tiny nation in May after violence between security force factions, as well as street gangs, left some 37 people dead over two months.
Their numbers have since been reduced to 1,100, bolstered by the presence of some 1,000 UN police whose forces will eventually be upped to 1,600.
The UN would have offered just 350 of its forces for the peacekeeping mission.
Ramos-Horta said that the government, which had also initially preferred to see a UN-led force, informed the UN of its decision to keep on the Australian and New Zealand contingents on October 18.
"We took that decision because we believe it is in the best interests of our nation to maintain the status quo as both forces have been here for a period of time and are now familiar with Timor-Leste and its people," he said.
He said that the government was aware that UN forces were currently stretched.
Dili was negotiating a trilateral arrangement with the UN and Australia that would provide for a unified and co-ordinated command sought by parliament, said Ramos-Horta, who was appointed interim premier when his predecessor stepped down after the violence.
"I am absolutely confident that they can and will work in total co-ordination. I hope this allays any concerns the national parliament may have when it passed the resolution," the Nobel peace laureate said.
Australia has made it clear it wishes to retain control of the peacekeeping force and has said its troops will stay until elections due in May next year.
Sporadic unrest between gangs has continued on Dili's streets, with at least five people apparently killed in clashes the past week.