SRSG PRAISES SPIRIT OF CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY CAMPAIGN

SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello said today that the campaign for the upcoming 30 August Constituent Assembly elections was proceeding peacefully and that the East Timorese people deserve praise for embracing the political process with energy and determination.

“The campaign is more than two-thirds over and is proceeding in an atmosphere of enthusiasm and healthy competition,” the SRSG said at a press conference held in the capital, Dili. He noted that more than 100,000 East Timorese had taken part in Civic Education events designed to raise awareness of the electoral process, and that more than half of all eligible voters had turned out to check their personal data on the electoral rolls.

The SRSG cited a recent independent audit into electoral preparations carried out by South African judge Johann Kriegler who said this month that in no other country had he witnessed such a high level of awareness by the people of why they had to register, what the election is for, and what the Constituent Assembly will do.

The SRSG praised political parties and independent candidates for adhering to the Pact of National Unity and the Electoral Offences regulation, but warned that there is a clear distinction between normal competition amongst political parties and coercion and intimidation that must not be crossed.

“The East Timorese have developed an allergy, a zero tolerance, to violence and coercion, and those guilty of attempting this will be judged on election day,” the SRSG said, adding that his recent visits to many East Timorese districts with political party leaders had revealed how the population is holding them accountable to the pledges they made in the Pact of National Unity.

Constituent Assembly elections will take place on 30 August. Voters will elect an assembly that will be composed of 88 members: 13 will represent each of East Timor’s districts; the remaining 75 will be allocated to parties and independent candidates based on a nation-wide proportional representation system. The Constituent Assembly will have 90 days to write and adopt a Constitution that will determine what type of political system East Timor will adopt.

EAST TIMOR DEFENCE FORCE TO MARCH IN DILI A group of 400 members of the East Timor Defence Force (ETDF) will stage a march in the capital Dili on Monday, 20 August. The march will be held to mark Falantil Day, which commemorates the formation of East Timor’s former resistance army Falantil.

The group will be a mix of current cadets and graduates. The soldiers will arrive by truck from their new purpose-built Training Center in Metinaro, outside Dili, and attend a service at the Dili Cathedral. After the service, they will march to the Santa Cruz cemetery and lay wreaths in memory of Falantil dead.

The ETDF is East Timor’s newly established defence force, officially formed by a National Council regulation in January 2001. Commanded by Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak, it includes demobilized former Falantil soldiers and also new recruits.

The first four-month ETDF basic training course concluded in June, with 247 graduates. The second group of cadets, 350 strong, began their training at the end of July. Thirty-two of the first class of graduates are serving as instructors for the second basic training course, alongside ten Portuguese specialists. Areas covered include drills, weapon skills, and target practice. East Timor hopes to have its first full 600-member battalion by independence.

CABINET ENDORSES TARGETS FOR TRANSITION TO INDEPENDENCE

The East Timor Transitional Cabinet yesterday reviewed and endorsed a set of benchmarks for the support of a successful transition of East Timor to independence. The benchmarks were originally defined at the December 2000 donor’s conference in Brussels, and have since been further refined and developed. They define the targets that the East Timor Transitional Administration has set itself, to progressively achieve the transition to independence and to provide increased services to the people of East Timor.

The Cabinet also held a preliminary discussion of a draft regulation on Foreign Investment. The regulation remains under consideration, and will be further developed by the East Timor Transitional Administration departments and reviewed again by Cabinet in early September. Due to the importance of the issue, it is planned that a completed draft will be readied for the consideration of the next Cabinet, to be appointed following the 30 August Constituent Assembly elections.