East Timor wants increased Portuguese police presence

Source: RDP Antena 1 radio, Lisbon, in Portuguese 1200 gmt 22 Nov 06

11/22/2006 08:24:05 AM EST BBC MONITORING INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Excerpt from report by Portuguese radio on 22 November

[Presenter] East Timor wants to double the GNR [Portugal's Republican National Guard] presence in its territory. A formal request will be made to the United Nations and the Portuguese government. Reporter Francisco Piedade noted this request at the ceremony marking the departure of the present GNR contingent in Timor:

[Reporter] The new contingent, which maintains the current number, 140 men, arrives at the end of the week in Dili. At the ceremony marking the handover of the command, [Jose] Ramos Horta, the prime minister of East Timor, asked for the number of personnel to be doubled:

[Ramos Horta] I have already raised the issue personally with the United Nations and with Portugal, with the interior minister, Antonio Costa: perhaps it would be useful to consider a second, additional, company of the GNR for us. The United Nations are receptive to this and see it as necessary.

[Reporter] The men returning home are doing so with a feeling of mission accomplished. [passage omitted] After six months the time has come to relieve the GNR's Bravo subgroup in East Timor. The command has already been handed over.

[Presenter] A report from Francisco Piedade. The present GNR contingent, made up of 140 personnel, will be relieved in East Timor the day after tomorrow.

BBC Monitoring