INTERIM DONORS MEETING ON
EAST TIMOR TO BE HELD IN DILI

The East Timor Transitional Administration and the World Bank have invited donor countries to participate in an interim donors meeting on East Timor, which will take place on Thursday, 29 March in Dili. It is expected that primarily donors based in Dili and those operating out of Jakarta will attend. The meeting, as agreed at the last donors meeting in Brussels last December, will provide opportunity for a mid-term review of East Timor’s transition strategy towards independence, with special focus on the political, public administration and public finance sectors. The deliberations will also feed into the preparations for the next East Timor donors meeting, scheduled for June in Canberra, Australia. Donors will not only gather for the first time for a full-day meeting in Dili but the meeting will also be an important step in ensuring continued donor support for East Timor for the remainder of the transition and beyond.

TIMORESE FUTURE DIPLOMATS
RECEIVE OVERSEAS TRAINING

Thirty-nine East Timorese future diplomats have just completed a month of further training in Portugal, Norway and Malaysia. While overseas, the group received training in areas such as international economic and trade relations, international and regional organizations, diplomatic protocol, management of embassies and consulates and basic training in public speaking, among other things. For this fiscal year, 2001-2002, twenty trainees will be recruited to fill in the available positions in the Transitional Foreign Affairs Office, the future Ministry. Interviews for the posts have started this week.

MORE REFUGEES TO RETURN HOME
ON IOM-OPERATED BOAT

Around 230 East Timorese refugees from West Timor refugee camps will arrive by boat in Dili, East Timor’s capital tomorrow, 24 March. The refugees are mostly from Dili and Same districts. The International Organization for Migration-operated boat Patricia Hotung left Kupang, West Timor today. This is the third operation to bring refugees by sea since first week of March, when more than 600 refugees returned to East Timor. IOM, UNHCR and UNTAET organized the operation. In addition, 220 refugees have returned to East Timor on 21 March by land through Suai district border.