LONGUINHOS MONTEIRO APPOINTED NEW PROSECUTOR GENERAL

SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello has appointed the former Prosecutor for Ordinary Crimes, Longuinhos Monteiro, to be East Timor's Prosecutor General.

Monteiro, 33, was born in Maliana district and is the former Deputy of outgoing Prosecutor General Mohamed Othman, who will continue to serve as special advisor to the new Prosecutor General. Longuinhos Monteiro and the new Deputy Prosecutor General, Amandio Benevides, were sworn-in by the SRSG today in Dili. Benevides was the former Deputy Prosecutor for Ordinary Crimes.

The new Prosecutor General holds a law degree from a University in Denpasar, Indonesia, and was appointed Investigating Judge for the Dili District Court in January last year. He was subsequently appointed Deputy Prosecutor for Ordinary Crimes six months later.

In today's ceremony, Sergio Vieira de Mello thanked former Prosecutor General Mohamed Othman for establishing an office "literally out of nothing… without benefiting from generous international assistance and considerable human resources."

"Building a Prosecutors Office in the Transitional Administration was perhaps one of the greatest challenges that we have faced during this phase in East Timor," SRSG said, adding that today's appointment marked a big step in "timorizing" the institutions of a future independent state. "I am grateful to Dr. Monteiro and Dr. Benevides for having accepted this offer."

Longuinhos Monteiro said that he was honored to take on the tasks as Prosecutor General. "This is an enormous responsibly."

The Public Prosecution Service in East Timor currently employs 13 East Timorese Prosecutors, nine international Prosecutors and some 30 investigators.

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY DETERMINES SHAPE OF CONSTITUTION

The Constituent Assembly's "Harmonization" Committee yesterday approved the overall structure for the Constitution now being drafted by the newly elected body.

Between a Preamble and a set of Final and Transitional Provisions, the articles of the Constitution will be arranged in six parts. Part one includes 'Fundamental Principles'; part two is devoted to 'Fundamental Rights and Duties'; part three is related to the 'Organization of Political Power'; part four covers provisions regarding 'Economic and Financial Organization'; part five refers to 'National Defense and Security', and part six considers 'Constitutional guarantees and Amendment to the Constitution'.

This structure will be used to guide the work of the four thematic committees created by the "Harmonization" Committee last week. The first of these thematic groups is focusing on human rights and civil liberties; the second is addressing the organization of the state and of political power. A third working group is focusing on the structure of the economy and finances; and the fourth is, among other tasks, designing mechanisms by which the constitution can be amended if necessary in the future.

The Constituent Assembly, tasked with drafting a Constitution for an independent East Timor, was elected on 30 August and inaugurated by Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello on 15 September.

SRSG TO TRAVEL TO UNITED KINGDOM AND UNITED STATES

SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello is scheduled to leave East Timor tomorrow on a trip that will include visits to the United Kingdom and the United States.

In London, the SRSG is scheduled to meet with British Foreign Ministry officials before delivering a lecture on peacekeeping at Oxford University. He will then travel to New York where he will brief the United Nations Security Council on 31 October.

The SRSG is scheduled to return to Dili on 7 November.