EAST TIMOR INDEPENDENCE LEADER BEGINS VISIT TO WEST TIMOR

East Timorese independence leader Xanana Gusmão today left on a four-day visit to Kupang, Indonesia, as part of an ongoing effort to build closer ties with the West Timorese leadership.

While in West Timor, the East Timorese delegation - which also includes UNTAET Chief of Staff N. Parameswaran - is expected to meet with UDAYANA Commander Brigadier General William da Costa, West Timor Governor Piet Tallo, Head of Local Legislative Assembly Daniel Woda Palle, Head of Police Jacki Uly, Bishop of Kupang Monsignor Petrus Tukang, and the former Commander of the Halilintar (Thunderbolt) militia group, João Tavares, among others.

The delegation is also expected to hold a dialogue session with East Timorese refugees still living in West Timor's refugee camps. The delegation hopes to promote the process of reconciliation and encourage additional refugees to return to East Timor.

The delegation's visit to Kupang follows an invitation extended by Piet Tallo at a meeting held last month at Salele in East Timor's Suai sub-district.

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE FINISHES BULK OF DRAFT CONSTITUTION

The Constituent Assembly's Committee on Systemization and Harmonization has prepared more than two-thirds of the articles to be contained in East Timor's first draft Constitution.

In sessions last Saturday and today the Committee - which is tasked with molding draft sections prepared by the assembly's four thematic groups into one single cohesive text - agreed on 100 of the proposed 146 articles.

Deliberations on the remaining articles will continue tomorrow, and a draft Constitution to be debated by the 88-member plenary is expected before the end of the week.

Last week the assembly president underlined to the plenary the urgent need for the constitutional development process to press ahead, noting that the UN Security Council has agreed that UNTAET should transfer its sovereignty to the East Timorese Government on 20 May 2002.

TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT AND NGOS SIGN COUNTRY ACCORD

A group of six international non-governmental organizations today signed a Country Agreement with the East Timor Public Administration (ETPA) that establishes the first legal framework for the operation of international NGO's in East Timor.

The agreement includes clauses obliging the international NGO's to promote the development of skills of their national employees; foster and support the voluntary participation of communities in defining and implementing development activities; and to establish and execute its projects of relief, rehabilitation, assistance and development in collaboration with ETPA and in conformance with all applicable UNTAET regulations, UN standards, and the customs of the people of East Timor.

The agreement also includes articles exempting international NGO's from import duties, excise taxes, and sales taxes on goods intended for purposes of humanitarian assistance and relief, education or health care, as well as for income taxes on the wages of international NGO workers administering programs in East Timor.

The agreement was signed by Chief Minister Mari Alkatiri, Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello, and representatives of Oxfam Australia, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision International, International Rescue Committee, Concern Worldwide and Care International in East Timor.

The international NGO's that signed the agreement were involved in the Working Group that helped formulate the accord, and other international NGO's based in East Timor are likely to sign the Country Agreement in the near future.

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS PREPARES FOR DONOR'S CONFERENCE

East Timor's Council of Ministers on Saturday held an extraordinary meeting to discuss preparations for next month's Donor's Conference in Oslo, Norway.

The Ministers agreed upon a supplementary budget of some US$900.000 for the upcoming fiscal year that will be formally considered at tomorrow's regular Council of Minister's meeting. Upon formal approval, the supplementary budget will be presented to donor countries at the Oslo conference.

The Council on Saturday endorsed the Government's fiscal framework for the medium term, as well as specific needs for continued technical support from the international community.

The ministers also agreed on a priority list of capital expenses for the Public Administration to be presented to the donors, and discussed a list of assets that UNTAET intends to transfer to the East Timor Public Administration.

SRSG WELCOMES NEW CIVPOL COMMISSIONER TO EAST TIMOR

SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello today welcomed the new Civilian Police Commissioner, Canadian Peter Miller, to East Timor.

Miller has 32 years of service as a regular member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the fields of senior management, operations and administration, as well as extensive international experience. Among his international postings, Miller served as the Civilian Police Commissioner for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in the Western Sahara (1997/1998); and Deputy Commissioner and Director of Operations and Training for the United Nations Support Mission in Haiti (1996/1997).