CABINET ENDORSES DRAFT REGULATION
ON ORGANIC PRODUCTS

The East Timor Transitional Cabinet today endorsed a draft regulation establishing an organic products regime, for referral to the National Council. The text gives legal status to a National Standard for Organic Products, which is designed to ensure the continuing economic viability of East Timor’s organic products in overseas markets. The regulation will require operators who label their products as organic to comply with the National Standard. It will also require any product with organic labeling that is presented for export or sale domestically to be certified by the East Timor Transitional Administration as organic. The Cabinet also approved a draft regulation formally establishing a Legal Aid Service for East Timor. The text includes provisions on the purposes and structure of the Service, and the means by which persons who cannot afford private legal assistance can access the Service. It also includes a code of conduct for public defenders and other persons accredited to provide legal aid services. The text will shortly be submitted to the National Council, for its consideration.

SYMBOLS DISCUSSED AT MEETING WITH POLITICAL PARTIES

Political parties are starting to define their symbols and acronyms according to the instructions given by the Independent Electoral Commission for the purpose of becoming registered for the 30 August elections to the Constituent Assembly. In its third briefing for the East Timorese political parties, the Independent Electoral Commission instructed attending representatives on the procedures that will be used to decide on the approval or rejections of the registration of political parties. Party representatives were also instructed on what grounds any person eligible to vote may present objections to their applications and on the procedure that the Independent Electoral Commission will follow to decide on those objections. Some questions were raised on what will happen in the event that different parties or groups present similar symbols, names or acronyms. The Independent Electoral Commission instructed the participants on the criteria, defined in the electoral regulation 2001/2, that the Board of Commissioners, the highest electoral authority, will take into account in its decisions.