[Poster's note: Long repeats of international articles already sent out to the east-timor list have been removed.]

UNMISET Daily Press Review

Compiled by the Public Information Office from national and international sources

Daily Media Review Tuesday, 17 May 2005

TL outcry over Timor Sea deal

Members of the Timor-Leste National Parliament have protested over the Timor Sea accord said to have already been agreed between Timor-Leste and Australia. Member of Parliament Eusebio Guterres, from the Democratic Party, said that postponement of a maritime boundary agreement is not beneficial for Timor-Leste. Guterres said that if Australia refuses to agree to a boundary demarcation then Timor-Leste should just remain calm. "John Howard will not be the Prime Minister of Australia forever. Many Australians support Timor-Leste's claims to its resources," Guterres told journalists yesterday. He said that a 60-year postponement of negotiations is too long and a dangerous commitment for Timor-Leste.

However, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Ramos-Horta, said that the recent negotiations between Timor-Leste and Australia in Sydney are not yet final. Speaking to journalists on Monday, Ramos-Horta said that there are still a few items to be discussed and agreed upon. The Foreign Minister added that discussion of these issues would not involve a large meeting but rather a forum for "sharing of ideas".

Coordinator of local NGO La'o Hamutuk Tomas Freitas told Timor Post that it is important to make sure that what is being reported is correct. According to Freitas, La'o Hamutuk's data indicates that the agreement that has been reached is about a creative solution for the development of Greater Sunrise and does not involve a postponement of boundary negotiations. (Timor Post)

TL-PNG must work together

Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea (PNG) must work together in order to benefit the people of the two nations, according to PNG's Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Christopher Mero. Speaking to journalists after meeting with Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Ramos-Horta, Mero said that Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea are two nations who are just beginning on their road of development and both are experiencing similar problems and difficulties. Mero said that he and Prime Minister Alkatiri came to an agreement on a bilateral assistance program, in which PNG indicated its willingness to assist Timor-Leste in the areas of health, administration, and police. (Timor Post, STL)

TL to open two new embassies

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Ramos-Horta announced that Timor-Leste will open two new embassies in the near future, in Thailand and Japan. However, Ramos-Horta said that the government has not yet been able to identify Ambassadors for these posts. He said that in the next two to three months the Prime Minister must nominate Ambassadors for these posts and present them to the President for approval. He added that some Ambassador posts such as that of the Timor-Leste Ambassadors to Malaysia and Mozambique would also soon be replaced. (Timor Post)

Khairuddin completes mandate on 20 May

Chief of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Timor-Leste, Lieutenant General Khairuddin, from Malaysia will complete his mission on 20 May. Khairuddin, who has led the UN military in Timor-Leste for one year and nine months, said his official goodbyes to government officials such as the Minister of Interior Rogerio Lobato, PNTL General Commander Paulo de Fatima Martins, and President Xanana Gusmao, yesterday. (Timor Post, STL)

Xanana: Young people must not only hope for office jobs

President Xanana Gusmao paid a visit to the Portuguese Primary School in Balide, Dili, yesterday to study the school's conditions. The President also spoke to the students, asking them to continue to prioritise their study of the Portuguese language and to identify how they may best participate in the Timor-Leste's future development. He told them that they must not all hope to obtain jobs as government officials, as Timor-Leste also needs people to work in trades and technical areas. (Timor Post, STL)