East Timor welcomes new RI ambassador

East Timor welcomes new RI ambassador

EAST TIMOR: East Timor welcomed Indonesia's first ambassador to the tiny nation on Friday, saying his arrival shows the relationship with its former occupier is maturing just five years after bloody independence battles.

President Xanana Gusmao accepted the credentials of Ahmed Sofwan, who was until recently deputy chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN). Previously, Jakarta was represented in Dili by a consular official.

Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and ruled it for 24 years before the Timorese voted in 1999 to break away in a UN ballot that was marked by bloody attacks by Indonesian troops and their militia auxiliaries.

The world body then administered the country until it was granted full independence in 2002. Political ties between Indonesia and East Timor have improved markedly since then.

Indonesia is now Dili's largest trading partner, and the two governments are preparing an agreement on issues left unresolved from the Indonesian occupation. Although the thorny issue of border demarcation has largely been resolved, issues involving asset division and civil servants' retirement funds are still outstanding. -- AP