Also: 26 Aug 03 RTL Newsheadlines

From UNMISET

Date: 08/25/2003 05:41PM

Subject: Daily Media Review 25 August 2003

Dili, August 25 2003 Daily Press Review

Memorial Services in Dili

A memorial service for friends and colleagues who lost their lives in the bombing of UN Headquarters in Baghdad was held on Friday evening in Obrigado Barracks, Dili.

The service was attended by hundreds of UN staff, civilians and military, international and national; members of the Timorese government; the diplomatic corps and by a large number of Timorese citizens who wished to express their grief for such a tragic event.

Chaplin Colin Barwise opened the ceremony with a prayer.

DOA Philip Cooper said that the attack "struck a devastating blow at the heart of the United Nations and its nascent efforts to help bring long-term peace and stability to Iraq. It has taken from us friends and colleagues, whose life's work has been dedicated to restoring peace to areas of turmoil, bringing humanity to peoples traumatised by brutality, and to providing nation building skills where experience has been lacking".

In his speech, SRSG Kamalesh Sharma asked: "Why are the good people - the best people - snatched from us? People who serve the highest ideals we are capable of, who want to bring healing to torn societies, who would have liked, if they could, to have wiped the tears from every eye. Those with fellow feeling, sympathy and solidarity with the people they serve, and with their pain. Givers, not takers. Why should they be taken from us in the prime of their life? Why the peacemakers?"

About the loss of Sergio Vieira de Mello, he said: "It is being felt by us here in Timor-Leste with particular anguish and despair. As we all know, Sergio devoted his career to the service of humanity. He worked tireless towards assisting in the resolution of conflict, the relief of suffering, and the promotion of human rights throughout the world. Sergio was universally neither recognized as nor only an outstanding international public servant, but a rare one. His energy, charm, sincerity, sheer ability, dedication, fellow-feeling and public spiritedness won the admiration and gratitude of all those who knew him and of him. The enormity of his loss is felt with a sharpness of pain we feel for the most extraordinary people."

"As President Xanana Gusmão has stated - reminded the SRSG - Sergio was indeed an 'extraordinary friend' to the people of Timor-Leste. The outpouring of love, dismay, and grief by people of all ages is testament to the contribution Sergio has made to the development in Timor-Leste and the deep affection the people of this country had for him."

And he concluded: "Sergio laid the foundation on which UNMISET has striven to build (...) As we mourn the irreplaceable loss of our dear friend and colleague, we must take inspiration in his legacy and all that he represented. Let us all in the UN family strive to be worthy of Sergio's legacy and example.

Francisco Guterres (Speaker of the Timorese Parliament), Kywal Oliveira (Ambassador of Brazil), Mari Alkatiri (Prime Minister) also spoke during the ceremony, as well as representatives of UN international and national staff who had worked with Vieira de Mello for UNTAET.

On Saturday at 03:00pm, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation organized a memorial service in front of Government Building. Former Bishop Belo led the memorial service. At the end of ceremony, flowers were thrown into the sea.

Foreign Minister José Ramos Horta said that not even death can separate Sergio Vieira de Mello from Timor-Leste: "his spirit goes on living among us, his work, his personality, his courage have left deep works in Timor-Leste, as well as in our hearts. He has not left us, he will remain among us forever".

In his speech, Belo said that many young people have been seen wearing T-shirt, which reproduce Osama Bin Laden's face. Instead said Belo, they should be wearing Vieira de Mello's face in their T-shirts, for "he worked for peace, tolerance, justice, reconciliation, democracy and fraternity". Those who have been wearing Bin Laden's T-shirts would be mistaken as people who oppose to the independence of Timor-Leste, he added.

On Tuesday, the Diocese of Dili will hold a mass at the local cathedral, in memory of all those who lost their lives in the attack against the UN in Baghdad. (STL, TP, and UNMISET)

BPU Detained Member of Kolimau 2000

The commander of the Border Patrol Unit (BPU) in Bobonaro, Abilio de Carvalho Modeira, told 'Timor Post' on Thursday that a 24-year member of Kolimau 2000 was detained by BPU in the border town of Tunubibi. According to Modeira, investigations conducted by BPU showed that the man was from Suco Maliubu Hauba, in the sub-district of Bobonaro, and that he has been a refugee in Kupang Turiskain, in the Indonesian district of Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT). The man said that he wants to stay in Indonesia, that he had resigned from Kolimau 2000 in 1999. He was detained when trying to enter Timor-Leste through an illegal enter point. He intended to go to Dili, to visit his brother. Modeira told the media that the detention of the man had raised some commotion from his colleagues and that further investigations showed that he had never been a militia, but had been a member of Kolimau 2000. (STL)

President Gusmão Started Reconciliation Meeting in Border Town

President Xanana Gusmão held on Friday of the first in a series of "reconciliation talks" with former militia leaders near the country's border with Indonesian. Many former militias did not show, but Gusmão took advantage of the border visit to convince refugees to come home. Four former militia leaders accused of crimes against humanity had been given temporary immunity to cross the border for talks, but they and six other anti-independence leaders failed to show. The President pressed on regardless, pleading with more than 100 refugees and former militia to return home Timor-Leste. There are still about 28,000 East Timorese refugees living across the border in Indonesian West Timor. (STL, ABC News)

Timor-Leste and Australia: agreement to fight terrorism

The Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and his Timorese counterpart Jose Ramos Horta have signed on Sunday a cooperation agreement to combat threats of terrorism in the region, at the beginning of trilateral talks which also had the participation of the Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Hasan Wirayuda. The trilateral talks were held at the Australian City of Adelaide. According to Lusa, the agreement signed by Downer and Ramos Horta establishes the basis of cooperation between the secret services of the two nations, joint operations and the adoption of common policies in the region. Australian will train East Timorese staff specialized in counter-terrorism. Australia and Indonesia signed a similar agreement last October. José Ramos Horta told Lusa that the combat to terrorism has to be undertaken in regional and bilateral terms. (LUSA)

Alkatiri: Timor Sea Border Negotiation Should Not Take a Long Time

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri said that he does not want the negotiation of Timor Gap to be too long and for that reason his government has already made the preparations to negotiate the maritime boundaries of Timor Gap. He further commented that he has not received anything officially from the Australian government and he explained that there should a deadline for the negotiations. According to Alkatiri, the end of the negotiations could encourage Foreign Minister Investment. (TP)

-END-

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Subject: 26 Aug 03 RTL Newsheadlines

RTL NEWS 25 / 08 / 2003

·Around 500 people participated on memorial ceremony for Dr. Sergio Vieira the Mello, and the others victims of the Baghdad blast, in front of Constitutional Government Palace.

·Ex Apostolic Administrator of Dili Deoses, MRG. Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, protested against the young Timorese who wear "Osama Bin laden" T-Shirts

·A Spanish Photographer named Aranchasedilo, inaugurated a photographic exhibition with 50 timorese pictures, last Friday, in "Hotel Timor".

·Those who didn't born within the Independence Process, don't have right to speak about it. President Xanana Gusmao said, giving a comment about CPD-RDTL members statements, who wanted change the Independence Restoration date, defend the 1975 Constitution and keep the Falintil Name for the defense force.

·National Unity, Tolerance and Respect are very important to perform successfully the Timor Leste Independence process. Said President Xanana Gusmao, when he visited Covalima District, during the reconciliation meeting between CPD-RDTL members and local population.

·60 refugees that are living in west Timor, hade a meeting according to the reconciliation process organized by President Xanana Gusmao. The meeting took place last Friday in Mota Masin border, Salele village, Sub-District of Tilomar, District of Covalima.

·Indonesia and Timor Leste Government established several entry points (for people and trade) along the border between the two countries.

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