East Timor PM Gusmao offers his resignation

East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has offered his resignation to the country's president. The move comes ahead of an expected government overhaul next week.

Deutsche Welle, 6 Feb 2015

Prime Minister of East Timor Xanana Gusmao, Photo:Rob Griffith, Pool/AP/dapd

  

"The government confirms that the prime minister of Timor-Leste, H.E. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, has sent his letter of resignation from the post of prime minister to the president of the republic, H.E. Taur Matan Ruak," an East Timorese government spokesman said on Friday in a statement on an official website.

"It is now for the president of the republic to respond to the letter of resignation," the statement added.

Gusmao, 68, a former guerilla leader, became prime minister in 2007 after five years as the country's first president after it gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. For more than a year, he has been hinting that he would step down to pass the responsibility of governing to a younger generation.

His letter of resignation came shortly after he started talks with the president on a government restructuring.

A government statement issued earlier said authorities wanted to "reduce the size of the executive to create a more efficient and functional body focused on results, and allow opportunities for a younger generation of leaders to make a contribution to the nation."

Young nation

East Timor was invaded and occupied by Indonesia in 1975 shortly after declaring its independence from Portugal, which ruled the country for centuries.

The Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence from Jakarta in a UN-backed referendum in 1999 after 24 years of brutal occupation that left more than 170,000 dead.

Gusmao led the military wing of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (FRETILIN), which fought against Indonesian rule. He was imprisoned in Jakarta toward the end of the Indonesian occupation, but continued to spearhead the struggle for independence from jail, returning to his homeland as a hero after the referendum.

Since attaining independence, the country of 1.2 million has struggled to establish itself economically, despite possessing abundant gas resources, and around half of its population live in poverty.

tj/sms (AP, Reuters, AFP)

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SBY Becomes First Indonesian President to Visit Fiji

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, Jun 17, 2014

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono makes the first visit by a sitting
 Indonesian president to Fiji, in a three-day trip starting on June 17, 2014.
(Reuters Photo/Toru Hanai)

Jakarta. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Fiji on Tuesday — the first visit by a sitting president of Indonesia to the island nation — in a move to strengthen ties with South Pacific states as well as to clear up diplomatic disagreements over the situation in Papua.

South Pacific countries, and bodies such as the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), an intergovernmental organization made up of Melanesian states, have a history of supporting Independence for Papua and West Papua — issues sure to overshadow Yudhoyono’s visit.

Indonesia’s harsh efforts to suppress Papuan nationalism have met with widespread criticism in the region.

Yudhoyono will attend the second Pacific Islands Development Forum, currently underway in Fiji, where he has been asked to deliver the keynote speech on development programs.

The visit was initiated by the Fiji government in order to strengthen bilateral relations.

“My duty is to increase the partnership with those countries, and we will explain our policy in Papua correctly so that we can reduce any misinformation about Papu,” Yudhoyono told journalists at Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta before his departure.

He cited Indonesia’s strong, although rocky at times, relationships over the past decade with Australia, East Timor, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea as evidence that stronger relationships could be developed with Melanesian states.

“They all respect the unity of Indonesia,” he said. “Therefore it is an important matter for geopolitics in the South Pacific and Southwest Pacific.”

Teuku Faizasyah, a member of the president’s special staff for foreign affair, said that Fiji was an important country in the South Pacific for Indonesia, as highlighted by the visit.

Yudhoyono ends his second five-year term in office in October.

The president is scheduled to have a private meeting with Fiji President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau and a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Voreqe Josaia Bainimarama. The two countries were set to discus collaboration in the arenas of culture, governance, maritime issues, regional and international affairs, and sports.

First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and several cabinet ministers were set to accompany the president for a three-day visit.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono meets Fijian President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau

in the Sheraton Hotel, Fiji, on June 18, 2014. (Twitter Photo/@SBYudhoyono)

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Violinist Vanessa Mae set to ski for Thailand at Sochi Olympics

Google – AFP, 20 January 2014

Violinist Vanessa-Mae performs during the opening night gala for Mandarin Oriental,

in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 4, 2009 (Getty/AFP/File, Ethan Miller)

Bangkok — Violinist Vanessa Mae is set to ski for Thailand at the Winter Olympics in Russia next month, the Thai team said on Monday.

The 35-year-old former child prodigy, whose father is Thai, is one of two skiers due to represent the kingdom in Sochi, team leader Varin Tansupasiri told AFP.

Mae, born in Singapore to Thai and Chinese parents, grew up in London where she become renowned for what she has described as her "techno-acoustic fusion".

Varin said Thailand expected to receive formal notification of her qualification from the International Ski Federation later on Monday.

Because Thailand has no skiers ranked in the world top 500, it is allowed to send one man and one woman for the slalom and giant slalom events if they have an average of no more than 140 points over five internationally recognised races.

A stronger performance earns fewer points.

Mae, who has been training in Zermatt in Switzerland for several years, appeared to have narrowly qualified after competing in Slovenia over the weekend under her father's surname Vanakorn.

"It would appear that she's done it. She's done it by a whisker, but she's done it," her manager Giles Holland told the BBC.

Until now the only Thai to ski at the Winter Olympics was academic Prawat Nagvajara, who competed in Salt Lake City in 2002 and at Pragelato in Italy in 2006.

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Skier taking East Timor to the Winter Olympics (Video)

World Court to Shine Light on East Timor-Australia Spy Row

Jakarta Globe – AFP, Charles Onians, January 19, 2014

East Timorese activists hold a banner during a protest outside the Australian
 embassy in Dili, East Timor, on Dec. 9, 2013. (EPA Photo/Antonio Dasiparu)

The Hague. Tiny, young East Timor drags its giant neighbor Australia before the United Nations’ top court next week in a cloak-and-dagger case with billions of dollars in natural resources at stake.

At the heart of the David and Goliath dispute at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague is a controversial oil and gas treaty signed by Dili in 2006, shortly after independence from Indonesia.

East Timor wants judges at the ICJ, which rules on disputes between states, to order Australia to return documents its intelligence services seized last year relating to Dili’s bid to get the treaty torn up.

“It’s simple: we’re asking for our documents back. Australia has unlawfully taken documents that are rightfully the property of Timor-Leste,” government spokesman Agio Pereira told AFP ahead of Monday’s hearing.

East Timor gained its independence in 2002 following years of brutal Indonesian occupation but has a sluggish economy that is heavily dependent on oil and gas.

Dili wants the key treaty it signed with Canberra in 2006 dividing oil and gas resources ripped up, saying Australia spied on ministers to gain a commercial advantage.

Australia allegedly used an aid project refurbishing East Timor’s cabinet offices as a front to plant listening devices in the walls in order to eavesdrop on deliberations about the treaty in 2004.

The treaty, Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea, or CMATS, set out a 50-50 split of proceeds from the vast maritime energy fields between Australia and East Timor estimated at 26 billion euros ($36 billion).

Dili signed such treaties “at fragile and vulnerable times in our young nation’s history,” government spokesman Pereira said.

“Now, in 2014, we are acting with a new breadth of information, data and analysis, including information that Australia may have acted in bad faith and in breach of international law.”

Australian media have reported that the lion’s share of Timor Sea oil and gas would be on Timorese territory if the maritime border were defined according to customary rules of the sea.

But first the half-island nation wants the ICJ to order the return of documents seized in November when Australia’s domestic spy agency raided the Canberra offices of East Timor’s lawyer, Bernard Collaery.

Collaery is representing East Timor’s government in its bid lodged last year to get the CMATS treaty cancelled at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, housed in the same Palace of Justice in The Hague as the ICJ.

While that case is being held behind closed doors, the ICJ hearings will for the first time shine a very public light on Australia’s alleged skullduggery.

“This is going to be pretty hard on Australia’s image, it’s not exactly glorious for them,” international law expert Olivier Rentelink from The Hague’s Asser Institute told AFP.

The premises of a former Australian intelligence agent turned whistleblower in the arbitration case against Canberra were also raided.

Australia has largely refused to comment on the proceedings, although Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended the raids as in the national interest.

East Timor Minister for Petroleum and Mineral Resources Alfredo Pires stressed his country’s generally good relations with Australia but said: “The only avenue we have as a small country is international legislation.”

Dili has asked for “provisional measures” until the ICJ rules on the case, including that the documents be handed to the court and that Australia guarantee it will not intercept communications between East Timor and its legal advisers.

“Timor Leste is a young country, we had the UN here and everyone teaching us transparency, the rule of law, and then we get one of the great teachers not following the rules,” said Pires.

Cases at the ICJ can take years to resolve.

Agence France-Presse

E. Timor takes Australia to top UN court over spying raid

Google – AFP, 19 December 2013

East Timorese policemen stand guard during a protest outside the Australian

embassy over claims of espionage in Dili, December 6, 2013 (AFP, Valentino

De Sousa)

The Hague — East Timor has launched legal action against Canberra at the UN's top court, alleging Australian intelligence officials illegally seized documents from a lawyer representing Dili in a row over spying.

Australia's domestic spy agency earlier this month raided the Canberra offices of Bernard Collaery and seized electronic and paper documents.

Collaery is representing East Timor's government in an arbitration hearing at The Hague which accuses Australia of espionage over a controversial Timor Sea oil and gas treaty. The raid came ahead of a hearing in the case.

East Timorese protest against the Australian

 government outside its embassy in Dili over

 claims of espionage, December 6, 2013

(AFP, Valentino De Sousa)

The premises of a former intelligence agent turned whistleblower in the case against Canberra were also raided.

East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has labelled the action "unconscionable" and on Wednesday the deeply poor half-island nation launched action at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

Dili contends that the seizure of documents violated its sovereignty and rights "under international and any relevant domestic law", according to a court statement.

The country that last year celebrated a decade of independence after years of brutal Indonesian occupation demanded Australia return the documents and destroy any copies.

It also asked for "provisional measures" until the ICJ rules on the case, including that the documents be handed to the court and that Australia guarantee it will not intercept communications between East Timor and its legal advisers.

Cases at the ICJ can take months or even years to resolve.

Australian Attorney-General George Brandis has dismissed any suggestion that the raids were an attempt to interfere in the case, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended them as in the national interest.

A key witness who is an ex-intelligence agent will allege that Australia's foreign intelligence service used an aid project refurbishing East Timor's cabinet offices as a front to plant listening devices in the walls in order to eavesdrop on deliberations about the treaty in 2004.

That treaty, Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea, or CMATS, set out a 50-50 split of proceeds from the vast maritime energy fields between Australia and East Timor estimated at some Aus$40 billion (US$36 billion).

Dili is now seeking to have the document ripped up on the grounds that Australia spied on ministers to gain a commercial advantage.

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Former E. Timor President Fumes Over Australia Spy Claims

Former E. Timor President Fumes Over Australia Spy Claims

Jakarta Globe – AFP, December 11, 2013

East Timor activists shout slogans during a protests in front of Australian
Embassy in Dili, East Timor on December 5, 2013. (EPA Photo/Antonio Dasiparu)

Former East Timor president Jose Ramos-Horta on Wednesday warned Australia not to underestimate the damage caused by spying allegations, which he said had angered many of his countrymen.

Australia is accused of using an aid program as cover to place listening devices in the East Timor prime minister’s office and rooms used for cabinet discussions during negotiations on the Timor Sea gas treaty in 2004.

East Timor is now bringing an arbitration case at The Hague against Canberra, alleging it spied to gain commercial advantage and seeking to have the Aus$40 billion ($36 billion) 50-50 profit sharing deal it signed torn up.

Ramos-Horta, now a special envoy for the UN secretary general, said he had no idea at the time that Australia would violate their offices.

“I don’t know what Australia can do to restore confidence among East Timorese people or leaders. I hope Australia does not underestimate the anger, the disappointment that its spying, its espionage towards Indonesia and Timor Leste is causing,” he said.

Australia is also accused of tapping the phones of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and inner circle in 2009.

Ramos-Horta said it would be understandable if Canberra had been spying on the likes of North Korea but not neighbors and allies.

“When you try to listen in to phone conversations of the president of Indonesia, a friendly country, or his own wife, or when you spy on a friendly neighbour like Timor-Leste which Australia helped to free in 1999 and which Australia claimed to be a friend, well it really undermines 10 years of our relationship,” he said.

As a UN envoy, Ramos–Horta played a key role in lobbying for Australia to win a seat on the UN Security Council last year, but he said that had he and the world body known about the spying allegations, it would have been a different story.

“Had we known that Australia was spying on us and spying on our friends… well if (that) news had transpired before the vote for the Security Council a year ago, I doubt Australia would have secured the seat,” he said.

Australia was elected to a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for a two-year role that began in January.

Ramos-Horta said Canberra must be more sensitive and transparent and admit it was at fault.

“Australia likes to lecture Timor-Leste and other countries about transparency and integrity in public life. Well, this has not been a very good example of transparency and honesty,” he said.

Agence France-Presse

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Clinton in East Timor on democracy push

The Jakarta Post, Matthew Lee, The Associated Press, Dili, East Timor, September 06 2012

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton autographs a coffee bean
 sack while visiting the Timor Coffee Cooperative in Dili, East Timor on Thursday.
 US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in East Timor to offer the small
 half-island nation support as it ends its reliance on international peacekeepers.
(AP/Jim Watson)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton praised East Timor on Thursday for holding fair elections this year, and said it was up to the government of Asia's newest and poorest nation to decide when and how to seek accountability for past violence during its struggle for independence.

Clinton said her visit, the first by a U.S. secretary of state to East Timor, was "a visible sign of our support for all that has been accomplished by the people of this nation." She and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao enjoyed coffee produced by a cooperative that helps supply the Starbucks chain.

At a press conference with Gusmao, Clinton congratulated East Timor on "three sets of free and fair elections this year, and a peaceful transfer of power to a new president, government and parliament."

There was some violence, including one death, following July's parliamentary polls. The top vote-getter, Gusmao's National Congress for the Reconstruction of East Timor, formed a coalition that excluded the runner-up Fretilin party, angering Fretilin supporters.

Clinton met Timorese officials as they prepared for the departure of the last of nearly 1,300 U.N. peacekeepers from the small, half-island nation by year's end.

A Portuguese colony for three centuries, East Timor voted in 1999 to end 24 years of Indonesian occupation that left more than 170,000 dead. Withdrawing Indonesian troops and proxy militias killed almost 1,500 people and destroyed much of the country's infrastructure.

Clinton said it is important for the people of East Timor to have accountability for abuses committed during the independence struggle, but added that the U.S. would "take the lead from the Timorese government" on how to achieve that.

"It is difficult to talk about this," Gusmao said, "when we need to have good relations with our closest neighbor." About 70 percent of East Timor's trade is with Indonesia.

"Democracy can only survive if we have development," he said.

Clinton announced new programs including $6.5 million to bring Timorese students to the United States to study. She is in the middle of an Asia trip with stops in the Cook Islands, Indonesia, China, Brunei and Russia's Far East.

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Former Guerrilla Ruak Elected East Timor President

Jakarta Globe, Meagan Weymes, April 17, 2012

A television shows the tally indicating a win for Taur Matan Ruak (R) at the
 district electoral commission in Dili on Tuesday. Former guerrilla and defense
 chief Taur Matan Ruak has won East Timor's run-off presidential vote, preliminary
results showed. (AFP Photo)

              

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Dili. Former guerrilla Taur Matan Ruak has won East Timor’s presidential run-off by a wide margin, preliminary results showed Tuesday, in a pivotal year for the nation almost a decade after independence.

Ruak, who had campaigned in military fatigues to highlight his role in the fight against Indonesian occupation, won 61.23 percent of the vote, according to figures from the elections secretariat, which organized Monday’s polls

His challenger Francisco Guterres — also a hero in the independence struggle and popularly known by his nom de guerre “Lu Olo” — trailed with 38.77 percent, according to the count.

All the results have been counted but they must be examined by the court of appeals before they are officially announced.

“We are very much elevated by the result, by the current outcome,” said Ruak’s spokesman Fidelis Magalhaes.

“We expect to see some changes [in the final count], minor, probably one or two percentage points, but without a clear swing or fluctuation of points,” he added.

If confirmed, Ruak, also a former defense chief, will become the leader of the impoverished and oil-dependent country, replacing Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta, who trailed in third place in the first round on March 17.

The streets of Dili were quiet Tuesday, with no sign of celebration, unlike the campaigning when hundreds of supporters from both sides sped past on motorcycles and buses, flashing victory signs.

An international poll observer said the wide margin left no room for dispute over the results.

“If there was a close result there could have been some quarreling, and while it’s not a landslide, this is a clear victory,” said Rui Feijo, an election observer and researcher from Portugal’s Coimbra University.

The vote marked the first in a series of key events in the chronically unstable country, still traumatized by Indonesia’s brutal 24-year occupation which ended with a 1999 referendum for independence.

In May, East Timor will celebrate 10 years of independence, which came after three years of United Nations administration. On July 7, voters will choose a new government in a general election.

The UN has said peacekeepers stationed in East Timor since 1999 would pull out as planned by the end of 2012 if both elections were peaceful.

A spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday’s vote had taken place in a “peaceful and orderly manner”.

The United States also congratulated East Timor on the election, saying that available information showed it was “free and fair”.

“We strongly support the country in its efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and consolidate peace and security. And of course, this election constitutes a significant step in that process,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Monday.

While Ruak, 55, sought to burnish military credentials throughout the campaign, Lu Olo, 57, has shed his guerrilla image, earning a law degree and campaigning in a suit and tie.

Ruak, who resigned as defense chief late last year to run for president, has vowed to introduce mandatory military service if elected.

He has been accused by the United Nations of involvement in illegal weapons transfers in 2006 when rioting and factional fighting left the nation on the brink of civil war. However, no attempts have been made to prosecute him.

While the presidency is largely ceremonial, it has enjoyed a high profile under Ramos-Horta.

Among East Timor’s many teething problems as a fledgling nation is its heavy reliance on energy reserves, which account for around 90 percent of state revenues.

East Timor is labelled by the International Monetary Fund as the “most oil-dependent economy in the world”, relying on a petroleum fund that reached $9.3 billion last year.

More than 458,000 Timorese, or 73 percent of more than 627,000 registered voters, went to the polls Monday, the elections secretariat said.

Agence France-Presse

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RI supports Timor Leste’s ASEAN bid: Marty

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 05/04/2011

Indonesia will strongly support Timor Leste’s application to join ASEAN this year, Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Wednesday.

“The issue of ready or not ready is relative. You don’t want to be overly perfect because in that case we will not get things done,” Marty told The Jakarta Post.

“We have to have them onboard, so we grow together,” Marty added.

Marty said that Indonesia had formally received Timor Leste’s application to join ASEAN

“Timor Leste was kind enough to submit its application while Indonesia is chairing ASEAN. There’s a powerful symbolic and political significance to that,” he said.

Marty said Timor Leste was an undeniable part of Southeast Asia - geographically, politically and economically.

“It is everyone’s interest when we talk about the family of Southeast Asian countries to have everyone on board,” he said.

The admission of Timor Leste would require a consensus among ASEAN’s member states, Marty said.

“It is a discussion that we need to have.” (swd)

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RI gives agricultural training to developing counties

Antare News, Thu, April 7 2011

Jakarta  (ANTARA News) - Agriculture officers of five developing countries are taking part in a two-week long training and apprenticeship program which opened in West Java`s resort area of Lembang on Thursday.

Retno LP Marsudi. (kemlu)

Director General of America and Europe at the Foreign Ministry Retno Marsudi opened the event held jointly with the Agriculture Ministry.

The event consists of international training on fruit and vegetable post-harvest technology for Asia Pacific countries and apprenticeship program for Comoros farmers.

The five countries are Bangladesh, Fiji, Laos, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste.

In her address Retno said the two activities were one of the manifestations of the Indonesian government`s commitment to help develop the agriculture sector of fellow developing countries.

"The agricultural sector is the important asset of Indonesia`s soft power diplomacy and for more than three decades Indonesia has played an active role in facilitating the exchange of experience in the agricultural sector through training, apprenticeship and dispatch of skilled workers to various counties in Asia and the Pacific and Africa," she said.

She expressed her belief that developing countries could contribute to improving the global food security which currently came under the spotlight from the international community.

Secretary General of the Agriculture Ministry Hari Priyono meanwhile said the government`s policies on national food security had yielded fruits with the attainment of self-reliance in rice in 2008.

"The agricultural sector is a strategic sector in the Indonesian economy and the Indonesian government will always try to meet the national consumption needs to ensure the public access to foodstuffs which constitutes one of human beings` basic rights." he said.

"Through the two activities the Secretary General of the Agriculture Ministry expects that the participants could improve their technical competence so that it could be applied to support the development of the agricultural sector in their respective country," he said.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

UN puts East Timor police back in charge

BBC News, By Kate McGeown, Jakarta, 28 March 2011

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The East Timorese police force has now taken back full control of security in the country from the United Nations.

The UN took over responsibility for security after
violent clashes in East Timor in 2006

UN forces took charge of East Timor's security in 2006 after a series of violent clashes which threatened to push the country into civil unrest.

The UN has been slowly transferring power back to the East Timorese police force ever since it took over security operations five years ago.

UN forces were first withdrawn after East Timor gained independence in 2002.

But four years later a third of the armed forces were dismissed, sparking clashes between the police and the military - 15% of the population fled their homes.

Some UN police will still remain in the country until next year's elections, when the UN's peacekeeping mission officially ends.

"We will continue to work side-by-side," UN Special Representative for East Timor Ameerah Haq said.

She said the East Timorese police would be "squarely in the driver's seat". The UN will focus on training.

Plane Forced to Land For Flying Without Permission

Jakarta Globe, Rahmat, March 07, 2011

Makassar. A charter plane headed for Malaysia was forced to land in Sulawesi on Monday for flying over Indonesia without proper permission.

The plane landed at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi, at 1.50 p.m. on Monday.

The were 49 passengers, all of which are Pakistani policemen who are serving in East Timor as part of the peacekeeping troops, and five crew members on board. They have been questioned by the authorities.

First Air Marshal Agus Supriatna, the commander of the airport, said the plane was a Boeing 737-300 owned by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

“The airport radar detected the plane at 12 a.m. and the crew didn’t communicate with the control tower,” Agus told the Jakarta Globe.

He instructed a Sukhoi plane to chase the Boeing and force it to land at the airport.

“The plane landed at 1.50 p.m. It was piloted by Captain Tariq Khalil ur Rehman Awan,” he said, adding the plane took off from Dili, East Timor, and was headed for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The plane allegedly flew over Indonesia without fulfilling three requirements — namely diplomatic clearance, security clearance and flight approval.

“Every plane planning to fly over a foreign country must meet these three requirements,” Agus said.

The plane was parked at the airport while the crew and passengers were questioned by the airport authority, immigration and officials from the Indonesian Air Force.

“We have filed a report to the Malaysian Embassy, the Foreign Ministry and the Transportation Ministry to help the plane fulfill the clearances,” Agus said.

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Timor Leste officially applies for ASEAN membership

Antara News, Fri, March 4 2011

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Timor Leste on Friday officially applied for membership in the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) through its foreign affairs minister, Zacaria Albano da Costa.

The application letter was presented by Da Costa to Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa representing the ASEAN chair.

Marty said Indonesia would soon convene a meeting of ASEAN member countries regarding Timor Leste`s application.

As to Indonesia`s stance toward the issue, Marty said Timor Leste was geographically part of Southeast Asia. "Geo-politically, geo-economically and geo-socio-culturally, Timor Leste`s future will be very much linked to the future of the Southeast Asia region," said the minister.

Based on ASEAN`s membership rules, an assessment would be carried out and meetings would be held to study Timor leste`s application. Later, based on a consensus among all ASEAN members, a decision would be taken on whether or not the application was accepted.

Right now Timor Leste was just setting up embassies in all ASEAN member countries. They so far already have four embassies, namely in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.

During the Friday meeting, the two foreign ministers also discussed bilateral relations between Indonesia and Timor Leste. Marty said relationships between the two countries were accelerating and based on a determination to further develop and to further strengthen the relationship not only government-to- government but also people-to-people.

Meanwhile Minister Da Costa said the state of relations between Indonesia and Timor Leste was strong and solid. He also said Timor Leste was looking forward to further developing bilateral relations with Indonesia in every sector.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

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Timor Leste's Bid to Join Asean Faces Objections

RI supports Timor Leste`s ASEAN membership bid

Antara News, Sunday, January 16, 2011

Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - Indonesia supports Timor Leste`s wish to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through the required process, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said here on Saturday.

"Right now ASEAN has 10 members and we have heard that Timor Leste wishes to join and we openly support it," he said at an ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Retreat.

When it would be realized Marty said he had so far received no official application letter for membership.

"But openly Timor Leste has already conveyed its wish. I heard Timor Leste wishes to start processing it this year because Timor Leste is also aware of the need to follow the stages for ASEAN membership," he said.

Marty said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had also expressed his support to Timor Leste`s membership in the ASEAN through certain processes.

Indonesian ambassador to ASEAN Ngurah Swajaya on the occasion said based on the ASEAN Charter Timor Leste could become a candidate for ASEAN members in terms of requirements.

He said Timor Leste is targeting ASEAN membership in 2011 from originally 2012 but until now Timor Leste has not sent an official application letter.

He said Indonesia has so far helped Timor Leste develop its human resources and institutions since four years ago "by assigning one of our senior officials as an adviser in Timor Leste`s foreign ministry to train and prepare their diplomats to deal with ASEAN meetings."

Based on the membership regulations assessment would be carried out and meetings would be held to study their application. And later based on a consensus ASEAN members would decide whether or not to accept the new member, he said.

Right now Timor Leste is just setting up embassies in all ASEAN member countries. They have so far had four embassies namely in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, he said.

Timor Leste is now also preparing itself to host the ASEAN Regional Forum expected early this year.

Regarding the East Asia Summit planned in Indonesia in November this year, Ngurah mentioned about the European Union`s wish to join it since 2007.

Until now ASEAN has not decided if the EU could join it. East Asia Summit itself will be attended by leaders from ASEAN and six countries joining the meeting namely South Korea, Japan, the US, Russia, Australia and China.

Xanana wants RI-Timor Leste brotherly relations preserved

Antara News, Friday, December 10, 2010

RI-Timor Leste: Timor Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao accompanied by East Java Vice Governor Saifullah Yusuf (right) visit Sekar Sari Cow Farm at Wonosari village, Pasuruan, East Java, on Friday. The Timor Leste Government will send their youth to study in Indonesia, especially in the agriculture and dairy cow farming sectors as it begins its first step toward long-term development next year. (JP/Wahyoe Boediwardhana)

Gianyar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Timor Leste President Xanana Gusmao has called for the preservation of the fraternal relations between his country and Indonesia so that their bilateral cooperation would always run well.

"The brotherhood between Indonesia and Timor Leste must be maintained," he said when receiving a Developing Relationship With Peace award from the Blahbatuh Grand Temple in the district of Gianyar, Bali, on Thursday evening.

Xanana said the brotherly relationship between the two countries must be preserved forever so that no conflict would happen between them.

Blahbatuh Grand Temple chief Anak Agung Ngurah Alit Kakarsana meanwhile said Xanana Gusmao had been invited specially to receive the peace award from the temple.

Besides Xanana, two Balinese artists also received the award, namely Ida Bagus Blansinga and Ida Bagus Oka. "On Friday, the award will also be presented to the wife of Tourism and Culture Minister Jero Wacik and the wife of Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika," he said.

The two women had contributed to the development of peace through their passion for batik art.

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