| Subject: AN: Xanana delivers Tsunami aid
BBC Monitoring International Reports January 28, 2005
EAST TIMOR PRESIDENT DELIVERS TSUNAMI AID TO INDONESIAN COUNTERPART
Text of report attributed to Antara, carried by Indonesian newspaper
Media Indonesia web site on 28 January
Jakarta: Timor Leste (East Timor)'s president, Xanana Gusmao handed
over 75,000 US dollars in cash assistance during his meeting with
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta on Thursday (27 January) for
the tsunami disaster victims in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) and
Northern Sumatera.
"Don't discuss amounts, because the amount is too small. That is
because we are a small country with a small population," said Xanana
during a press conference with President Yudhoyono after their meeting at
the Merdeka Palace on Thursday (27 January) afternoon.
At the time Xanana did not want to mention the amount of aid, saying
that the aid is, at the very least, an expression of the Timor Leste
community and government's sorrow over the terrifying wave (tsunami) that
hit Aceh and Northern Sumatera.
Timor Leste's contribution was collected from various groups, including
the government, parliament, the church and the local community.
"They (the Timorese citizens) want to show their feelings of
solidarity, kinship and friendship. We can feel the suffering experienced
by our brothers who have become the victims" said Xanana.
President Yudhoyono expressed thanks and said he was touched by the aid
collected by the government and people of Timor Leste for the tsunami
victims.
Xanana, according to the Indonesian President's spokesperson, Dino Pati
Djalal, cried when he told President Yudhoyono of his concern about the
disaster that befell the citizens of Aceh and Northern Sumatera.
"Their meeting was really emotional. Xanana was really touched and
sad when he expressed his feelings about Aceh. Xanana cried tears,"
said Dino.
Meanwhile, said Dino, apart from handing over 75,000 US dollars in cash
for the tsunami victims, Timor Leste also gave 50,000 US dollars for Aceh
and Northern Sumatera tsunami victims through the United Nations Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a UN body that
handles the coordination of humanitarian aid, as well as giving
contributions to the value of 10,000 US dollars for the victims of the
natural disaster that struck Alor island, East Nusa Tenggara.
President Xanana will attend a meeting with the Indonesian House of
Representatives (DPR-RI) leaders in Jakarta on Friday (28 January).
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