I recently returned from a visit to East Timor, an area in which this House is very interested, where I witnessed at first hand the successful outcome of a UN operation which has placed this newly independent country on the road to development and prosperity. In 1999 the situation in East Timor seemed almost hopeless. Its infrastructure was destroyed and a large proportion of its population was displaced, yet today that new nation is looking to the future with determination and confidence. The UN played the key role in this transformation. The East Timor experience clearly shows how strong a force for good the UN can be when its members act in a united manner.