Australian pull-out from ETimor depends on UN: FM
Australia said it wants to withdraw its troops from East Timor as soon as possible but the timing depends on the United Nations’ plans to set up a mission in the fledgling nation. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the situation in East Timor had stabilised and Australia would soon reduce the 1,300 to 1,400 soldiers it currently has there. “But pulling them out altogether is going to depend very much on the situation on the ground,” Downer told Malaysian television ahead of a meeting on Thursday with his Southeast Asian counterparts. Full Story