TIMOR SEA ARRANGEMENT INITIALED

An Arrangement between the East Timor Transitional Administration and the Australian Government on the Timor Sea was initialed today in Dili, giving East Timor 90 per cent of the revenues from the oil and gas reserves in the area. Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette, SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello and Xanana Gusmão were among the dignitaries attending the ceremony. Cabinet Member for Political Affairs and Timor Sea Peter Galbraith, who initialed the Arrangement on behalf of East Timor together with the Cabinet Member for Economic Affairs Mari Alkatiri, called the treaty “one of the most important legacies of the transitional period.” “It will not make the people of East Timor rich, but it will give them a chance, if their elected leaders spend the proceeds wisely, to escape the poverty in which so many are mired,” Galbraith said to the large crowd attending the signing ceremony in Dili. “At all stages, we acted at the direction of the East Timorese leadership and Cabinet. We have succeeded because we have done exactly what the East Timorese have asked of us and we have done it together,” he added.

Mari Alkatiri said that the revenue from the Timor Sea is a great help for East Timor, but that it should not determine the design of future development programs in the country. Australia’s Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who initialed the Arrangement on behalf of Australia together with the Minister for Industry Nick Minchin, called the signing “a great day for Australia.” “Australia and East Timor share bonds that can only grow stronger as time passes. Underpinning these bonds is our geographical proximity, with just the Timor Sea between us. We are determined that the Timor Sea should be a unifying factor, linking Australia and East Timor, not separating us,” he said, toasting the deal in champagne with the East Timor representatives. The Arrangement ends negotiations which began in March 2000.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL COMPLETES FOUR-DAY VISIT

UN Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette today wound up a four-day visit to East Timor during which she was able to get a first-hand view of UNTAET’s work and ensure that there is maximum coordination within the UN system. This morning Ms.Fréchette was briefed by Peacekeeping Force Commander Lt. Gen. Boonsrang Niumpradit about the force’s current mission and plans for the upcoming electoral process. The Deputy Secretary-General later met with Cabinet Member for Foreign Affairs José Ramos-Horta and a group of East Timorese diplomats, and then held a meeting with UNTAET/ETTA staff at which she said she was impressed by the partnership between the East Timorese and international staff at the mission. Ms. Fréchette then held successive meetings with the SRSG and Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer before attending the initialing of the Timor Sea Arrangement. The Deputy Secretary-General was then seen off at Dili’s international airport by the SRSG, the Force Commander, UNDP Resident Representative Finn Reske-Nielsen, and Director of administration Ronnie Stokes, among others.

DEPUTY SRSG DENNIS McNAMARA ARRIVES IN EAST TIMOR

Dennis McNamara, the new Deputy SRSG of the UNTAET mission, arrived in East Timor today. Soon after his arrival McNamara met with the SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello, and then attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new Deputy General Prosecutor for Serious Crimes. McNamara, a New Zealander who last served as a Deputy SRSG in Kosovo, today expressed pleasure at assuming his new role with UNTAET. “I am delighted to finally be here in East Timor and to get to know the local and international staff. There’s obviously much to be done in this time of transition, and I am looking forward to working with the SRSG and his team in this critical phase,” he said. Mr. McNamara replaces Jean-Christian Cady, who served UNTAET since its inception and, among other duties, spearheaded the creation of the new East Timor Police Service and the development the East Timorese Defence Force.

JAPAN DONATES US $1.2 MILLION IN ELECTORAL ASSISTANCE

The Embassy of Japan today handed over US$1.2 million to finance part of the UNDP’s election support package. The contribution will help support the coordination of international observer groups and the training of national election officers, as well as provide technological support for the Independent Electoral Commission and help promote the ongoing Civic Education campaign. At this morning’s ceremony marking the handover, the Deputy Director of UNTAET’s Division of Political Affairs, Andrew Whitley, thanked the Japanese for their efforts in peace and democracy building, adding that the ongoing Civic Education efforts which will be partly funded by the grant will help ensure that East Timor’s people are informed and consulted about the electoral process, and free to choose their future leadership.

ETDF BEGINS MARCH FROM AILEU TO METINARO BASE

Six hundred members of the East Timor Defence Force (ETDF) this morning began a 30-hour march from their former base in Aileu to the ETDF’s purpose-built training facility at Metinaro, near the capital Dili. SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello and Peacekeeping Force Commander Lt. Gen. Boonsrang Niumpradit are scheduled to join the ETDF soldiers near Metinaro tomorrow morning and accompany them for the final leg of their march into the Australian-built base. Two hundred and forty-seven of those marching were inducted into the East Timor Defense Force on 21 June after completing a four-month training course in Aileu. ETDF Commander Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak has approved the names of 32 of these graduates to instruct the next class of 348 cadets scheduled to begin basic training at Metinaro later this month. These instructors will work under the supervision of Portuguese military trainers.

MS.GILISSEN SWORN-IN AS DEPUTY PROSECUTOR GENERAL

Jean-Louise Gilissen from Belgium was sworn-in as Deputy Prosecutor General for the Special Panel for Serious Crimes today by SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello. Gilissen has worked in a wide range of legal positions in Belgium and as a prosecutor for the International Tribunal for Rwanda.