East Timor: A Memoir of the Negotiations for Independence

This is the memoir of Jamsheed Marker, Personal Representative of the UN for East Timor, who was responsible for keeping the UN's and Kofi Annan's ideals at the forefront of the East Timor negotiations between Portugal and Indonesia. He tells the story, including all of the setbacks, false hopes, tragedies and silver linings, of the UN's involvement in East Timor that brought about the international agreements enabling East Timor to go from being a colony to being an independent, democratic nation. He also shares the story of the remarkable people who have endured over 300 years of neglectful and violent colonial occupation followed by 25 years of a neighbouring country's exploitative and brutal domination.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Introduction: Why Me?      1. Why East Timor?      2. Getting Acquainted: People, Places and Perceptions, Part I (Lisbon: March through July 1997)      3. Getting Acquainted: People, Places and Perceptions, Part II (Jakarta: March through July 1997)      4. East Timor (March through July 1997)      5. The Negotiations Commence (March through August 1997)      6. The Consultations Widen (Geneva, Pretoria, Vienna, and London: August through November 1997)      7. Coming to Grips: The Negotiations Intensify (Indonesia and East Timor: December 1997; Portugal: January 1998; London: April 1998)      8. Negotiations Continue in the Shadow of Indonesia’s Summer of Discontent (New York and Washington: April and May 1998)      9. The Second Innings: Indonesia in Transit and Tumult (New York, Lisbon, Jakarta, and East Timor: June and July 1998)      10. The Doctor’s Dilemma: The Negotiations Intensify, but So Does the Conflict (New York, Vienna, and Lisbon: October and November 1998)      11. Sailing into the Squall (Indonesia and East Timor: December 1998)      12. A Dramatic Decision, and an Opportunity Seized (New York: January and February 1999)      13. Substantive Progress in Negotiations in New York; Ominous Signals from East Timor (New York, Jakarta, and East Timor: February to April 1999)      14. Agreement Between the Republic of Indonesia and the Portuguese Republic (New York: April and May 1999)      15. UNAMET and the Arduous Path to the Ballot (New York, Jakarta, Dili, Sydney, and Canberra: May to July 1999)      16. The Popular Consultation in East Timor: The Ballot (New York, Jakarta, and Dili: July and August 1999)      17. The Aftermath of the Ballot (Dili, Jakarta, and New York: August 31 to October 31, 1999)      18. A Review, and Some Reflections      Epilogue      Index     

About the Author :
The late Jamsheed Marker was a former special adviser to the Secretary General of the United Nations in New York City and a former diplomat-in-residence at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. He divided his time between Karachi and New York.

Review :
“East Timor’s story is a dramatic one, and few are better able to tell it than Marker, the U.N. special envoy who steered the tense negotiations...an inspiring account of how courageous leaders, a determined population and strong U.N. involvement overcame huge obstacles to create a democratic nation”—St. Petersburg Times.