PUBLIC BUILDINGS REHABILITATED

The East Timor Transitional Administration will officially receive its first rehabilitated public buildings from construction companies next week in Baucau. The rehabilitation of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the administration building of the prison and the court, which were destroyed during the violence in 1999, was completed in December 2000. All works were carried out by East Timorese companies. Four major public buildings are currently under reconstruction in Dili, employing over 350 East Timorese workers. The works are expected to be completed in February to April 2001. Seven major public buildings have been rehabilitated in Dili so far.

SRSG MEETS PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER

UNTAET SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello and Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama met today in Dili to discuss, among other things, the political transition process, increased Portuguese support to East Timor and the current economic situation. They discussed possible ways to speed up the "Timorization" process with the help of additional Portuguese recruitment experts to be integrated in the Civil Service Public Employment of the East Timor Transitional Administration. The contribution of experts to give specialized technical assistance to the East Timorese Cabinet Members was also be considered. Minister Gama will be in East Timor for four days, during which he will meet several UNTAET senior officials and the Timorese leadership, among them CNRT President Xanana Gusmão. Mr. Gama will visit the Oecussi, Aileu and Los Palos districts. On 17 January, the Foreign Affairs minister will inaugurate the Portuguese Cultural Center of Dili.

MR. RAMOS-HORTA VISITS JAKARTA

East Timor Transitional Cabinet Member for Foreign Affairs, José Ramos-Horta, will leave for Jakarta on 22 January for a two-day visit. This will be his first official visit to Indonesia as a Cabinet Member. The purpose of the trip is to further the good relations between East Timor and Indonesia and reaffirm East Timor’s commitment in developing a close relationship with its neighbor and all ASEAN countries. Mr. Ramos-Horta will meet with Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Akbar Tandjung, other Indonesian officials and representatives from the diplomatic community. The meetings will take place on 23 and 24 January. The Cabinet Member for Economic Affairs, Mari Alkatiri, the Executive Director of the NGO Timor Aid, Juan Federer, and two junior East Timor diplomats, Juvencio Martins and Jorge Camões, will be part of the delegation.

NATIONAL COUNCIL DEBATES TRANSITIONAL CALENDAR

The Timorese National Council will conduct a three-day public hearing on the political transitional calendar, commencing on Thursday, 18 January. The hearing will focus on the transitional calendar presented on 23 December 2000 by Mr. Xanana Gusmão, as the National Council Presiding Member of the Committee on Political Affairs. Apart from National Council members, representatives from the country’s political parties, civil society, the church, the Transitional Cabinet, District Administrators and CNRT have been invited to present their views. Civic groups taking part include the human rights organization Yayasan Hak, the East Timor Jurists Association, the East Timor Human Rights Commission and the National University. Any member of the society can also submit his and her views on the matter in writing to the Secretariat of the National Council by the end of this month. Council members will receive background documents on various parliamentarian systems prepared by UNTAET’s Electoral Affairs Division.