TIMORESE, INDONESIAN OFFICIALS MEET AT BORDER CROSSING

Top East Timorese, UNTAET and Indonesian officials met at a border crossing in Suai district on Saturday to witness the return to East Timor of some 600 people from West Timor refugee camps.

Acting Chief Minister José Ramos-Horta, UNTAET Chief of Staff N. Parameswaran, East Timor Defence Force Commander Taur Matan Ruak, and Prosecutor General Longuinhos Monteiro were among the East Timorese and UNTAET officials present at the crossing.

Minister for Welfare Haji Mohammad Yusuf, Minister for Religion Syed Agil Munawar, Regional Military Commander Major General William da Costa and West Timor Governor Piet Tallo were among the Indonesian representatives.

"This is your country, the door is open to all of you who two years ago took refuge from East Timor and are now willing to return," Ramos-Horta said at the reception ceremony. "You are most warmly welcomed," he said, but reiterated that any returnee who had committed Crimes against Humanity would face justice.

"We wish that all refugees who return home will have better lives and continue to keep good relations as our brothers and sisters," Indonesian Minister for Welfare Haji Mohammad Yusuf said to the departing refugees.

Ramos-Horta described the meeting as another step towards normalizing relations between East Timor and Indonesia.

Former Commander of the Mahidi militia group Câncio Lopes de Carvalho also took part in the meeting and ceremony, presenting a letter of reconciliation to the East Timorese representatives.

UNHCR, IOM and UNTAET have assisted 3,233 East Timorese refugees to return home during the past month. This is the highest number to have returned in a single month since March 2000 when 9,485 returned. Since October 1999, also in partnership with IOM and UNTAET, UNHCR has now assisted some 188,646 East Timorese in their voluntary return.

The significant increase during the past month may be attributed to the growing confidence of the refugees with the situation in East Timor, especially since the successful 30 August elections. UNHCR anticipates that many thousand more will return before the full onset of the rainy season and the Christmas celebrations. The proactive approach of the Government of Indonesia together with the reconciliation process driven by the East Timorese leadership add further impetus to encouraging refugee returns.

ACTING CHIEF MINISTER BRIEFS MEDIA ON RECENT TRIP

Acting Chief Minister José Ramos-Horta said today that he had encountered no reservations about the continued presence of Peacekeeping forces in East Timor during recent meetings with United States and French officials.

Ramos-Horta explained that his recent visits to the US and France were aimed at establishing a dialogue with two of the permanent members of UN Security Council. He said that he considered the visits to have been "fruitful."

"Despite the recent crisis in US, East Timor continues to receive high profile attention there as well as in France," Ramos Horta said.

He stated that the UN Security Council will consider two main points of the Secretary General Kofi Annan's report and recommendations on the situation of East Timor in its 31 October Open Session on East Timor: the continuation of a significant Peacekeeping presence and the number of civilian staff that remain in East Timor following independence.

The Acting Chief Minister said there is a consensus among UN Security Council members over the necessity of maintaining both components in East Timor after independence.

LAUTEM TRIAL TO RESUME AFTER TWO-WEEK RECESS

The ten defendants in East Timor's first Crimes Against Humanity trial are expected to make final statements tomorrow when the hearings resume after a scheduled two-week recess.

The final statements will be followed, likely at the beginning of next week, by final statements from the prosecutors and public defenders. The court will then have 20 days in which to reach a verdict.

The prosecution has sought to prove that the defendants took part in a systemic and orchestrated campaign of murder, deportation, and torture in Lautem district between April and September 1999. The charges relate to 13 murders carried out in four different incidents, and the attack and burning of a number of villages and subsequent deportation of their inhabitants.

The ten accused on trial in Dili were allegedly members of the pro-autonomy Team Alpha militia. An eleventh suspect, Indonesian Syaful Anwar-the second-in-command of the Indonesian Kopassus special forces in Lautem district when the crimes took place-was indicted by the Prosecution but is currently at large.

The Special Panel for Serious Crimes, which consists of one East Timorese and two international Judges, can try cases of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity, Murder, Sexual Offences and Torture, carried out between 1 January and 25 October 1999. The Special Panel was set up in June last year.

DISTRICT RADIO REPORTERS HOLD FIRST CONFERENCE

Thirty-four UNTAET radio reporters representing East Timor's 13 districts gathered in Dili on Saturday for the first District Reporter's Conference.

The conference marked the official launch of the three radio programs that began airing the district reporters' news segments in September.

In his message to the reporters, SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello congratulated each for the dedication they have shown over the past few months, particularly during the election period.

"On behalf of all of the United Nations staff here in East Timor, I applaud you for your commitment. Today let us celebrate what each of you have achieved so far and all of your good work to come," the SRSG's statement said.

As part of this first District Reporter's Conference, the team attended a workshop and made a formal presentation of their programs to representatives of the donor community. They also conducted a live radio show with Minister of Internal Affairs Antoninho Bianco.

The 34 reporters are sponsored by UNTAET's Community Empowerment Project, USAID and UNDP, who have provided training, equipment and a monthly stipend for six months.

US MILITARY BEGINS NEW ROUND OF HUMANITARIAN PROJECTS

Approximately 1,000 United States marines and sailors began a three-day series of humanitarian assistance projects today as part of its ongoing efforts to provide relief to East Timor.

The marines and sailors are scheduled to provide medical and dental procedures, conduct general engineering and construction, and transport and deliver sports equipment and infrastructure materials to Suai, Dili and Oecussi districts.