UNAMET wants end to East Timor violence

UNAMET wants end to East Timor violence

DILI, East Timor (JP): UN Assistance Mission in East Timor
(UNAMET) representative Ian Martin appealed to the two
conflicting factions and their supporters here on Sunday to stop
attacking each other and help create a conducive climate for the
Aug. 8 ballot.

"In entering a new scene of East Timor history, I'm appealing
to the two conflicting factions and their supporters to stop
violence and provocative actions," he said in a press release
here.

He also called on the two factions not to conduct campaign
activities for the August vote but to hold dialogs and
consultations with supporters on platforms they would promote
during the official campaign period scheduled to start on June
20.

"Campaign activities which are not proceeded by consultations
are against the tripartite agreement on East Timorese civil
servants and servicemen," said Martin, who was apparently
responding to a meeting of civil servants and servicemen here on
Friday.

In the meeting, Dili Regent Domingos Soares and Eurico
Guterres, deputy commander of the prointegration militia, briefed
about 500 participants about supporting the province's special
autonomy option in the ballot.

Martin said UNAMET was making an effort to hold consultations
with both prointegration and proindependence groups in designing
a code of ethics for the campaign period.

"All factions will be barred from using state facilities in
their campaign activities," he said.

He said that all individuals and groups in the territory are
responsible for helping to maintain security and order so that
people could cast their votes freely.

Information

Meanwhile, David Wimhurst, UNAMET spokesman, said UNAMET was
disseminating information to the East Timorese about the ballot
and its arrangements, which are still being made.

"The socialization program is the first phase in the ballot
schedule and it will be followed by the campaign for the ballot
from June 20 through Aug. 5. And then we will have a calm period
before the balloting day on Aug. 8," he said.

He added that UNAMET would also circulate campaign information
through local radio and television stations.

David said that UNAMET chairman Ian Martin, who arrived here
on June 1, has visited several regencies and met with local
authorities to establish coordination for the ballot.

"He (Martin) has met with local authorities in Baucau and
Viqueque and also held talks with Baucau Bishop Nascimento and
security authorities at the two regencies," he said.

He said UNAMET was setting up 700 centers for voter
registration and 200 balloting booths in 13 regencies across the
province.

"Besides, we will also set up balloting booths in Jakarta,
Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Ujungpandang and Denpasar for East Timorese
voters in those cities," David said.

UNAMET would also set up balloting booths in Sydney and Perth
in Australia, Lisbon in Portugal, Maputu in Mozambique, Macao and
New York.

"In Australia, the ballot will be organized by the Australian
Electoral Commission," he said.

According to the official document agreed to by Indonesia and
Portugal in New York on May 5, prospective voters for the ballot
should be at least 17 years old and either born in East Timor or
with one or more parents born in the territory.

Antara reported from Darwin, Australia, on Sunday that the
Northern Territory capital would be used by UNAMET as its base
for supplying facilities needed to organize the ballot in East
Timor.

It was also reported that the UNAMET base in a former central
bank building would start its operation next week, and around
4,000 Australian companies have been listed as participants in
the bidding for the projects to supply materials needed for the
ballot. (rms/33)