From UNMISET

Dili, 03 October 2003 Daily Media Review

Third National Dialog To Be Held in November

A third National Dialogue is planned to be held across the country in November on "reconciliation', reported Suara Timor Lorosae on Friday. According to Miguel Manetelo, the General Coordinator of the President's Office for this program the purpose of the dialogue is to understand or identify how much the population is aware about reconciliation. Manetelo said the dialogue aims to strengthen CAVR's (Comição Acolhemento Verdade e Reconciliação) program in this area and it should not be seen as interfering with its work. The implementation of the Nahe Biti Bo'ot or Amnesty is to be discussed during the dialogue, said Manetelo, adding that a final report will be presented to the government and the Parliament. (STL)

Timor-Leste: Lisbon Says Adoption of Indonesian Law No Threat to Relations

Timor-Leste's Parliament approved Thursday the adoption of former occupier Indonesia's legal system as the country's applicable subsidiary law. The decision was taken by 62 votes to three with 12 abstentions, "following a debate characterized by many negative references to Portugal's colonial rule", reported the Portuguese news Aaency LUSA. According to the news agency, "the parliamentary vote capped a sometimes angry national debate on whether to adopt the Indonesian or Portuguese legal systems, an ambiguity that had led to much confusion in Timorese courts". Portugal's State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, António Lourenço dos Santos, who arrived on Thursday in Dili for an official visit, said the decision caused him "some disappointment", but it would not affect bilateral relations. He said he regretted some of the anti-Portuguese comments made in the Dili Parliament, which were the result of "distraction" by some who did not fully appreciate Lisbon's role in Timor's development, noting 60 percent of Lisbon's foreign aid budget goes to Timor. But he said that the comments produced in the Parliament demonstrated that democratic mechanisms were operating in full in Timor-Leste", where "people are free to express their opinions". (LUSA)

TNI Welcomes TL's Offer for Military Cooperation

The Indonesian Defence Forces (TNI) has welcomed President Xanana Gusmão`s offer to forge a military cooperation with Indonesia. "The offer was certainly appreciated, as TNI is always committed to building friendship and peace with whatever countries in the world, including Timor-Leste," West Timor military commander, Col. Inf. Moeswarno Moesanip told the Indonesian news agency, Antara on Thursday. According to this news agency, Xanana Gusmão told the press in Singapore on Wednesday that he would continue building peaceful reconciliation with Indonesia as the closest neighboring country. (ANTARA)

UNHCR Builds 350 Houses for Former Timorese Refugees

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is planning to build 350 houses for former East Timorese refugees in Kimbana, Belu, East Nusa Tenggara, a spokesman of the agency said on Wednesday. "We are just clearing the land for it. This has nothing to do with the Japanese aid. It is purely from the UNHCR," said Tinor Therik, UNHCR assistant liaison officer for that region. According to the Indonesia news agency, Antara, Therik said the project was the result of a meeting between the UNHCR and the national coordinating body for disaster control and refugees (PBP) in Bali in July to settle the refugee problem. (ANTARA)

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