KL offers East Timor help, military training
KL offers East Timor help, military training
Agencies, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia offered East Timor on Monday assistance ranging from
education to military training during a visit by the fledgling
nation's prime minister, Mari Bim Amude Alkatiri, an official
said.
The offers were made by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in
hour-long talks with Alkatiri, who in turn requested help in
developing his country's oil and gas sectors, Deputy Foreign
Minister Leo Michael Toyad told reporters.
The two men also discussed increasing trade opportunities, Leo
said.
Alkatiri, who arrived late on Sunday with a 27-member
delegation including Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Ramos Horta
and 17 businessmen hoping to attract investment to East Timor.
"They have asked for assistance in developing the gas and
petroleum industry.
"In this field, they want guidance and cooperation to assist
them in developing their own petroleum company like Petronas, and
to increase exports," Leo said.
Alkatiri was due to meet Petronas officials later on Monday,
before attending an official dinner reception hosted by Mahathir.
The delegation is scheduled to leave for Manila on Thursday.
East Timorese and Malaysian officials had initially been
slated to sign a visa agreement Monday, but Toyad said there were
technical complications and the pact would probably be signed
later.
Malaysian Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz said Alkatiri's
delegation also expressed East Timor's desire to join the 10-
member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
"They requested about becoming part of the ASEAN Regional
Forum (ARF) and later on they would like to become part of ASEAN
as well," she said on the sidelines of the meeting.
"And (Mahathir) has expressed his support for that."
The ARF, Asia-Pacific's foremost security umbrella group,
includes the 10 ASEAN states, along with Australia, Canada,
China, the European Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand,
South Korea, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Russia and the United
States.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
East Timor became independent on May 20 after more than 400
years as a Portuguese colony, 24 years of Indonesian occupation
and 32 months under United Nations stewardship.
The country, Asia's poorest, is struggling to recover from the
destruction of 80 percent of its infrastructure in a vengeful
Indonesian army-backed militia rampage that followed its August
1999 vote for independence.