E. Timor, RI plan joint border survey

E. Timor, RI plan joint border survey

EAST TIMOR: East Timor and Indonesia are planning a joint project to mark their land border, the United Nations said on Monday.

The survey will look for old border markers and study geographical features that could serve for a natural demarcation, East Timor's UN spokeswomen Barbara Reis said.

Reis initially announced the project would start on Monday, but later said it had been postponed until an unknown date. No reason for the delay was given.

Indonesian troops and UN peacekeepers stationed on either side of the 100-kilometer (60-mile) border use various maps dating back to Portuguese colonial rule.

In October 1999, the two sides clashed due to a misunderstanding over the line between East Timor and the Indonesia-held western side of the island. --AP