| Subject: UNOTIL's Daily Media Review
29 September 2005
[Poster's note: Long repeats of international articles already sent out to the east-timor list (info@etan.org) have been removed.] Compiled by the Public Information Office from national and international sources UNOTIL Daily Media Review Thursday, September 29th 2005 National Media Reports Horta: Princess Anne visit shows strong UK-TL relations Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Ramos Horta has said that the visit of Princess Anne and her husband Timothy Lawrence shows that the relations between the United Kingdom and Timor-Leste are very strong. Speaking at a press conference at the International Airport after accompanying the Princess and her husband to the airport upon departing Timor-Leste, Horta said that the Princess’ visit is a symbol of these good relations. The Minister stated that during the 1999 crisis in Timor-Leste the contribution of the United Kingdom to the UN Security Council’s decision to intervene in the crisis was a very important one, and explained that since then the UK has also provided important multilateral assistance during Timor-Leste’s transition period and up to the present, an example being the training that the UK together with Australia has provided to the PNTL. The Minister thanked the UK Ambassador Tina Redshaw for her invaluable assistance in facilitating the visit, and told the media that the Princess took some Timorese coffee home with her as a keepsake from her visit here. UK Ambassador Redshaw also told reporters that one of the concrete results of the Princess’ visit to Timor-Leste was that a WWII veteran with a missing leg was yesterday provided with a false leg from the ASSERT organization, an organization funded by the United Kingdom and visited by the Princess yesterday. While here the Princess also launched the BBC’s World language service in Timor-Leste at frequency 105.9 FM. (TP, TVTL, DT, DN, STL) STAE acknowledges error It is reported that STAE has acknowledged its error in relation to the results of the village elections held on 20 September for the village of Haburas, Motael. The results from the counting as witnessed by the Haburas village population themselves clearly showed that the Social Democrat Party (PSD) had won, however the results as publicized by STAE declared that PSD had received zero votes. Vice-Director of STAE Edgar Sigueira Martins told journalists on Wednesday that this was STAE’s mistake, as sometimes there are typing errors. He confirmed that the matter had been clarified between STAE and PSD, that the error had been corrected on STAE’s behalf, and that there was not an issue with the incorrect candidate name, just the party name. He explained that the results published by STAE were provisional results, and that the Court of Appeal is responsible for declaring the final, conclusive results. He asserted that the above mistake was not an attempt by STAE to manipulate the election results as declared by some political parties, but just a simple error. In a separate article, Mr Martins was reported by STL as clarifying that STAE would prepare 175 voting stations for the upcoming village elections on 30 September. (TP) Timor Border problem to be discussed in District Parliament The issue of the borders between Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Australia was scheduled to be discussed in Indonesia’s District Parliament session in Jakarta on Wednesday. The Parliament has invited the Association for those who Care for West Timor (YPTB), an organization which has been very vocal on the issue for some time, to attend the session, along with several other guests including the Governor of East Nusa Tenggara, political representatives, and several military and police officials of the West Timor area. In its press release the YPTB has declared that its minimal target for this session is that the rights and interests of the people of West Timor, Sabu, Rote and Alor, which have up to now been disregarded by Jakarta and Canberra, to be noted as one of the Issues for Recommendation for the District Parliament’s Plenary Session to begin on 30 September. The recommendation will then be forwarded to the Indonesian National Parliament and Central Government to be followed up. This would mean that all agreements made between Indonesia and Australia regarding the Timor Sea since 1971 would be rendered invalid and would be subjected to trilateral negotiations together with the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, and in accordance with international legal principles. (TP) Border market management transferred The central government of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province has transferred its authority for the management of the three traditional markets along the border between the Belu District of West Timor and Timor-Leste. The markets have been transferred to the authority of the local Belu Administration, in order that market income can be directly attributed to the local administration. Head of the NTT Office of Commerce and Industry Supartantyo in Kupang confirmed the transfer, and explained that the traditional markets in that area are designed to attract Timor-Leste residents as buyers, in order to indirectly contribute to the revenue of the local Belu Administration. (DT) President Gusmão Asks Political Parties to Discuss Electoral Law Speaking to the media on Wednesday after his meeting with President Xanana Gusmão, President of PSD (Social Democratic Party) Mario Viegas Carrascalão was reported as saying that during the meeting the President of Republic requested all political parties to discuss the electoral law for the 2007 general elections. Moreover, Carrascalão informed that President Xanana wanted to organize a workshop next year for all political parties to discuss the matter before taking it to the National Parliament for further deliberations. At the meeting, Carrascalão said, PSD delegation also expressed their disagreement over the Government’s policy in creating Secretaries of States for the Regions. According to PSD, such policy was unconstitutional since the Constitution [clearly] states that the law for the creation of such administration needs to be approved first by the Parliament. (TP) Sarmento: Liberal Party Asks President Gusmão to Hold Dialogue with Population on Truth and Friendship Commission Vice President of Liberal Party, Carlos Sarmento had asked President Xanana Gusmão during a meeting on Wednesday to hold dialogue with populations at the grassroots level on the objectives of the creation of the Truth and Friendship Commission, Timor Post reported. By doing so, he said, it will be a way to clear the doubts of the population on the question of justice. Sarmento also informed that during the meeting he raised his party’s concerns over Government’s economic policy. His party found that there is an urgent need to clearly define the economic system in order to move forward as an independent nation. (TP, DT) Claudio Ximenes: Olinda Guterres’ PDC is Invalid The President of the Court of Appeal, Claudio Ximenes, told media recently that the Court of Appeal only recognises the Christian Democratic Party as Antonio Ximenes’ party and not Olinda Guterres version of PDC, which was also considered illegal, reported Dario Tempo. Claudio Ximenes added that apart from the existing regulation that a political party has to fulfil, a political party also has to have around 1500 supporters to be recognised as a political party for the Court of Appeal to register. (DT) National News Sources Timor Post (TP), Suara Timor Lorosa’e (STL), Diario Tempo (DT), Diario Nacional (DC), Semanario, Lia Foun (LF), Televisaun Timor-Leste [TVTL], RTL Radio Timor-Leste [RTL] These items do not reflect the positions or views of the United Nations. 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