East Timor welcomes new RI ambassador<\/p>\n
EAST TIMOR: East Timor welcomed Indonesia's first ambassador to
\nthe tiny nation on Friday, saying his arrival shows the
\nrelationship with its former occupier is maturing just five years
\nafter bloody independence battles.<\/p>\n
President Xanana Gusmao accepted the credentials of Ahmed
\nSofwan, who was until recently deputy chief of the National
\nIntelligence Agency (BIN). Previously, Jakarta was represented in
\nDili by a consular official.<\/p>\n
Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and ruled it for 24 years
\nbefore the Timorese voted in 1999 to break away in a UN ballot
\nthat was marked by bloody attacks by Indonesian troops and their
\nmilitia auxiliaries.<\/p>\n
The world body then administered the country until it was
\ngranted full independence in 2002. Political ties between
\nIndonesia and East Timor have improved markedly since then.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is now Dili's largest trading partner, and the two
\ngovernments are preparing an agreement on issues left unresolved
\nfrom the Indonesian occupation. Although the thorny issue of
\nborder demarcation has largely been resolved, issues involving
\nasset division and civil servants' retirement funds are still
\noutstanding. -- AP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/east-timor-welcomes-new-ri-ambassador-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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