|
STATEMENT BY
Mr. President, At the outset, my delegation deems it a distinct honor to see the Foreign Minister of a neighboring ASEAN country with which Indonesia enjoys close and friendly relations, presiding over these important deliberations. Mr. President, It is indeed a great pleasure for my delegation to participate in the open meeting of the Security Council to commemorate a truly milestone event - the birth of East Timor as a full-fledged sovereign and independent nation. Indeed, this is a historic occasion that will be forever etched in East Timor’s history as a defining moment, whereby its newly inaugurated President Xanana Gusmao and the East Timorese Government have become masters of their peoples’ destiny enabling them to follow the path to their chosen goals. Allow me, in particular, to pay special tribute to President Xanana Gusmao who has already proven to be a visionary statesman, particularly in valiantly promoting reconciliation amongst the East Timorese people, an underpinning to building a secure and prosperous nation. So too, our congratulations go to the East Timorese people themselves for their unstinted efforts to attain independence by democratic means. In reaching this objective, credit no doubt goes to the efforts of the Secretary-General and the pivotal role of the United Nations. In particular, we commend UNTAET under the leadership of SRSG, Mr. Sergio de Viello for assisting the people of East Timor in the transition towards independence. On its part, my Government will continue to extend its cooperation to the newly established UNMISET in its given mandate to strengthen an environment of nation-building in East Timor. In this regard, the international community should render its support to the Governments of Indonesia and East Timor in realizing this objective. Similarly, my Government is committed to expanding bilateral relations with East Timor and it shall endeavor to finding ways and means to explore new areas of cooperation so as to inject greater vitality into our bilateral relationship. A significant step was taken in this direction with the visit of President Megawati Soekarnoputri to East Timor, today on 20th May 2002, to participate in the Independence Day celebrations. It has indeed added momentum to further building an edifice of an enhanced bilateral relationship between our two countries and towards realizing our commitment for implementing forward-looking relations with East Timor. In this context, it is important that the international community sustain its support to assist East Timor to become a solid and prosperous country that will in turn enhance the stability of the region as a whole. Thank you, Mr. President.
|
