UNTAET SRSG MEETS FORMER
PRO-INDONESIA LEADERS IN DILI

SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello met today a group of former pro-Indonesia East Timorese leaders in Dili, who arrived today in East Timor for a two-day visit with the purpose of meeting the East Timorese leadership and civil society representatives to further the reconciliation process. The group, led by Filomeno de Jesus Hornay, expressed their wish to see directly the current situation in East Timor. They also stressed that they were in East Timor as individuals. The visit, the first since September 1999 for some members of the delegation, follows the last reconciliation meeting between UNTAET/CNRT and representatives from the pro-autonomy umbrella organization UNTAS in December in Surabaya, Indonesia. SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello laid out today UNTAET’s position that all refugees were welcome to return, but that there will be no amnesty for crimes committed in 1999 and that suspects will face the East Timorese justice system, namely the Special Panel for Serious Crimes.

TIMORESE CABINET CONSIDERS
CONSULTATION ON CONSTITUTION

The East Timorese Transitional Cabinet today considered further the issue of consulting the people of East Timor on their future Constitution. Cabinet endorsed the Transitional Administrator’s policy of supporting NGO initiatives on constitutional issues, in conjunction with the Transitional Administration’s civic education efforts. As a complement to the overall effort, Cabinet recommended to the Transitional Administrator that he also establish consultative mechanisms in the districts, which would seek the views of the East Timorese people on constitutional issues and make these available to the Constituent Assembly. In this regard, the Cabinet explicitly acknowledged that the future Constituent Assembly retains the prerogative to establish any mechanisms it wishes to facilitate consultation on constitutional issues. This follows yesterday’s vote of the National Council defeating a draft regulation on the establishment of national and district constitutional commissions. The draft regulation was introduced by National Council representative for NGOs and had the broad support of NGOs, the Standing Committee on Political Affairs, among them CNRT and National Council President Xanana Gusmão, and UNTAET. Finally, the Cabinet decided that a legal instrument formalizing the status of the East Timor Transitional Administration should be prepared, for its consideration.

INTERIM DONORS MEETING SCHEDULED FOR 29 MARCH

Fifteen countries and European Commission representatives will take part in the interim donors meeting on East Timor tomorrow, 29 March in Dili. CNRT/NC President Xanana Gusmão, SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello and Country Director East Timor of Asia and Pacific Region of World Bank Klaus Rohland will deliver the introductory public remarks. Mr. Xanana Gusmão will address the political transition along with Cabinet Member for Political Affairs and Timor Sea Peter Galbraight, followed by talks delivered by National Planning and Development Agency Head Emilia Pires on Monitoring the Transition Strategy; Cabinet Member for Internal Administration Ana Pessoa on Administrative Transition and Cabinet Member for Finance Michael Francino on Fiscal Strategy. The Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, IMF, UNICEF, UNIFEM, UNHCR, FAO among others, will take part in the meeting as observers.