THE BISHOP OF BAUCAU TO VISIT WEST TIMOR

The Bishop of Baucau, Basílio Nascimento, is visiting West Timor, Indonesia, on 28-31 May to meet with refugees and pro-autonomy leaders. The Bishop will be accompanied by UNTAET’s Chief of Staff N. Parameswaran and a group of liurais (traditional kings) from the East Timorese districts, who are expected to hold meetings with their West Timorese counterparts. Bishop Nascimento has already visited West Timor, last June, as part of the ongoing reconciliation efforts.

OFFICE OF NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR CREATED

A new Position of National Security Advisor has been created in the East Timor Transitional Administration (ETTA). The position is in part the outcome of the King’s College Study on Security Force Options for East Timor, conducted in July last year. This study was led by Nici Dahrendorf who took up the position as National Security Advisor on 23 April. The functions of the National Security Adviser are to assist the political leadership of UNTAET and the East Timor Transitional Administration in developing a strategy and formulating policies to deal with internal and external developments that may have security implication. The office will be responsible for the collation, analysis and coordination of information and the establishment of good communication systems amongst the security agencies, both at the national and district level and between the security agencies and the leadership of UNTAET and ETTA. The National Security Advisor will also convene meetings of the National Security Council – which consists of senior UNTAET and ETTA staff -– manage its secretariat, as well as assist and advice the Office of Defence Force Development.

ELECTORAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT TO BE SIGNED

UNTAET SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello and the UNDP Representative in East Timor, Finn Reske-Nielsen, will sign an agreement on Thursday, 10 May, for an Electoral Assistance Project worth almost US$4 million. The aim of the project is to support the electoral process and it will consist of ten components. These include the establishment of a Joint International Observer Group; capacity building of national observers; the support of the 65 East Timorese sub-district officers working with the Independent Electoral Commission; information technology; voter education; civic education and support for the constitutional commissions, among other things.

BILATERAL TALKS IN INDONESIA

Bilateral talks between UNTAET and Indonesia will be held on 15-16 May in Denpasar on various issues, such as assets and claims, pensions, archives and cultural heritage. The UNTAET delegation is led by the Cabinet Member for Political Affairs, Peter Galbraith, and consists of representatives from different UNTAET departments, including the Border Service.

SECOND PARTY REGISTERS

Partido Democrata Cristão (the Christian Democratic Party) today submitted its complete application for registration to the 30 August elections. The registration of political parties and independent candidates for the Constituent Assembly election started yesterday, 7 May, and will last until 24 June. The application submitted yesterday was lacking some minor details, such as the proof of habitual residence for its party officials.