Also Timor Leste renews bid for ASEAN membership

Indonesia, Timor-Leste to boost cooperation of border security

JAKARTA, Jun 5, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Indonesia and Timor-Leste Tuesday agreed to beef up cooperation on security in the borders to maintain stability in the area, the presidents of the two countries said here.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his visiting Timor-Leste counterpart Jose Ramos Horta made the statements in a joint press conference here after meeting at the State Palace.

President Susilo said that both the two countries would try to boost coordination between their security authorities in the border.

"We try to further enhance our coordination and communication between the two sides that we could do better in securing our border. We have to improve our system, our cooperation in the future," said Susilo.

Indonesia has frequently close its border with the tiny nation of Timor-Leste when the country was hit by unrest for the reason to keep the image of not interfering the situation in Timor-Leste.

"We know well that some time there is a problem, (we) closed the border," said Susilo.

Timor-Leste descended into a chaos in April last year that nearly brought it to the failure of a nation.

Over 23 people were killed in the bloody violence that was sparked by the sack of 600 soldiers by the former controversial prime minister Mari Alkatiri. The unrest made about 33,000 others fled homes and live in camp in the capital of Dili.

The situation was then restored after the presence of over 3, 000 Australian-led multi-national troops.

Timor-Leste shares an island with Indonesia.

"We have to have a close cooperation to ensure that there is no happening that can disturb the ongoing bilateral relation," said Susilo.

On his turn, President Horta said that Indonesia and Timor- Leste would finalize their negotiation on the border demarcation that has been nearly finalized now.

"The progress we have made in negotiation of the border demarcation. We will continue to make for the progress in the rest to that we finalize the border demarcation," he said.

Horta said that his country declared Indonesian language its working language and Timor-Leste and Indonesia would cooperate in education, and economy.

Timor-Leste got it independence on May 2002 after a United Nations-backed referendum in 1999. The former Portuguese colony had been under Indonesian rule for 24 years.

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Timor Leste renews bid for ASEAN membership

JAKARTA, Jun 5, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta Tuesday reiterated his country's call to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during his first overseas trip as president to Indonesia.

"Joining with the ASEAN will make our regional diplomacy complete," he told a press conference after a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Merdeka Palace here.

Horta also thanked the Indonesian government for persuading fellow ASEAN members to accept Timor Leste's entry.

The Asia's newest country has openly expressed willingness to become the 11th member of the regional grouping since the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia in 2005.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.