East Timorese assembly elects its new speaker
East Timorese assembly elects its new speaker
DILI, East Timor (Agencies): Amid wrangling over procedures,
members of East Timor's new legislature elected a speaker on
Monday to preside over the drafting of the country's first
constitution.
Sixty-eight lawmakers voted for Francisco Guterres, better
known as Lu Olo, in an open ballot.
Lu Olo is the president of East Timor's largest political
party Fretilin - The Revolutionary Front for an Independent East
Timor - which won 55 out of the 88 assembly seats in the
territory's first democratic election last month.
He was the only candidate proposed for the speaker's position.
"Lu Olo comes from the majority party and it would have been
impossible to go against this," said opposition lawmaker Fernando
de Araujo.
UN administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello presided over the vote
which was conducted amid confusion over how the position should
be filled.
De Mello several times consulted with technical advisers
before deciding to hold an open vote. The election of a deputy
speaker was delayed until Tuesday.
East Timor will remain under UN administration until it gains
independence next year.
The assembly, which was inaugurated on Saturday, will have
three months to draft a constitution and decide which political
system to adopt before holding presidential elections.
Meanwhile, U.S. warships taking part in a humanitarian mission
in East Timor have sailed to the isolated enclave of Oecussi to
deliver foodstuffs and construction materials, a military
spokesman said on Monday.
On Sunday, the task force dropped plans for a visit to another
border town due to security concerns following last week's
terrorist attacks in the United States.
The three amphibious warfare ships with some 4,000 marines and
sailors on board arrived in Oecussi early Monday after spending
three days in the capital, Dili, Capt. David Romley said.
Oecussi, which is surrounded by Indonesian-held West Timor on
three sides and the sea to the north, is about 80 kilometers (50
miles) away from East Timor along the northern shore of the
island.
A dozen helicopters transported food, piping and other
materials to outlying areas of the mountainous enclave.
"The United States has a definite commitment to supporting
East Timor's efforts toward independence," Romley said.
East Timor, which has been under UN administration since it
voted to break away from Indonesia in 1999, is scheduled to
become fully independent next year. The fledgling nation covers
half of the island of Timor, north of Australia.
U.S. ships have visited East Timorese waters regularly in a
show of support for its independence after the territory voted to
break free of Indonesia two years ago. At least 23 U.S. Navy
vessels have come through since then.
The ships will remain in Oecussi for a day, before departing
to an unspecified destination, Romley said.
Oecussi, East Timor's poorest area, is defended from cross-
border infiltration from Indonesia by a battalion of Jordanian UN
troops.