also EU to keep supporting T-L

February 21, 2009 Saturday

China's UN envoy says China's assistance to East Timor to continue

Text of report by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)

[China Says It Will Continue to Provide Assistance to Timor-Leste - Xinhua headline]

United Nations, 19 Feb (Xinhua) -At the open debate meeting on the Timor-Leste issue of the UN Security Council on 19 February, Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations Zhang Yesui said that, within its reach, China will continue to provide assistance to Timor-Leste.

Zhang Yesui said: Since the attack incident broke out in February last year, under the leadership of President Ramos-Horta and the Timor-Leste Government, the situation in Timor-Leste has rapidly returned to calmness. Results have been achieved in solving issues concerning the petitioners, the homeless, and those wandering around, and the political dialogues between the various factions of Timor-Leste have further deepened.

Zhang Yesui said: China applauds the efforts made by President Ramos-Horta to press forward the domestic reconciliation process, and urges all of the factions of Timor-Leste to give prime consideration to national stability and the interests of the Timor-Leste people, grasp the current favourable opportunity to restore peace and bring forth development, and lead the people to concentrate on pressing forward the process of national peaceful reconstruction.

Zhang Yesui said: To bring forth long-term peace and stability, Timor-Leste needs to apply itself to developing the economy and improving the people's livelihood. Under the current conditions, China supports the Timor-Leste Government in focusing development on infrastructure construction, rural development, building of its human resources and ability, and increasing the employment rate of the people, especially the youths, in order to root out the factors of social instability. The international community also should continue to provide all kinds of aid to quicken the pace of the peaceful reconstruction process of Timor-Leste.

Zhang Yesui said: Both China and Timor-Leste are members of the big Asia-Pacific family. China has always showed concern for and paid attention to the development situation in Timor-Leste, and sincerely hopes that Timor-Leste will bring forth national development and happiness of its people at an early date. China will continue to provide assistance to Timor-Leste within its reach.

At the meeting, Ramos-Horta briefed the UN Security Council on the latest development of the situation in Timor-Leste. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon gave a report on the situation in Timor-Leste.

Source: Xinhua news agency domestic service, Beijing, in Chinese 1708 gmt 19 Feb 09

--

Czech News Agency

February 19, 2009 Thursday

EU TO KEEP SUPPORTING TIMOR-LESTE - CZECH AMBASSADOR TO UN

New York, Feb 19 (CTK) - The EU will keep supporting Timor-Leste (East Timor) that became independent seven years ago and still faces serious economic and internal problems, Czech Ambassador to the U.N. Martin Palous, whose country is presiding over the EU, said today. The EU has earmarked 81 million euros for the public sector development in Timor-Leste in 2008-2013. Since 1999, the European Union has allotted about 327 million euros to the people of Timor-Leste in development and humanitarian assistance, Palous said at the U.N. Security Council session today. Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Prize winner, asked the U.N. at today's session to continue providing its aid to his country at least by 2012. He also called for the Australia and New Zealand's units to stay in the country.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon supported Ramos-Horta's stance. Palous said the EU expressed a deep concern about the serious situation in Timor-Leste, "which could potentially lead to renewed instability." "It is, therefore, the EU's aim to support labour intensive work programmes, mainly through the implementation of the Rural Development Programme. The EU also encourages Timor-Leste to make use of the Petroleum Fund for future investment projects and to stimulate the non-oil part of the economy by creating new job opportunities and basic infrastructure development," Palous noted. The EU remains concerned about the situation of the judiciary in Timor-Leste, Palous said. He added that the the EU would continue to assist Timor-Leste in promoting its justice sector and reinforcing the rule of law. hol/mr