Summary The peacekeeping mission was established in 2006.
A UN official says peacekeepers are on track to leave East Timor by year s end, but the international community will remain engaged in one of the world s youngest nations through other channels.
Finn Reske-Nielsen, head of the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste, told the Security Council Monday that the tiny Asian state still faces many challenges but that a peacekeeping mission is no longer the best way to address them.
The peacekeeping mission was established in 2006 when a major political, humanitarian and security crisis rocked the country that had only gained independence from Indonesia in 2002.
Nielsen said the reconstitution of East Timor s police force was a key milestone that allowed the mission to be mostly drawn down by Dec. 31. But he said that significant capacity challenges remained.
