East Timor: Debate on CNRT´s Future Extended Through Thursday 7 Jun-11:48

In an unexpected development, East Timor´s emerging political leaders have extended debate on the extinction of their united-front organization by one day, through Thursday, to continue discussions of concerns over national unity during the transition to full independence. The one-day extention was decided late Wednesday in Dili, where a two-day "extraordinary conference" of the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT) had been expected to approve its formal dissolution, scheduled to take place Saturday. The planned extinction of the CNRT, which is presided by Xanana Gusmao and led the final struggle against Indonesian occupation, aims to open the way for competition among political parties in the scheduled Aug. 30 constituent assembly elections. &! nbsp; Leaders of four parties, including the historic pro-independence group Fretilin, came out in favor of the CNRT´s immediate demise. Two others, including the UDT, argued for postponing its dissolution until the declaration of independence, and two more, including the newly founded, broad-based Social Democratic Party, conditioned dissolution on the parties signing a "national unity pact".

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