U.S. denies it is cutting aid to E Timor

U.S. denies it is cutting aid to E Timor

UNITED STATES: The United States on Friday denied a report that it was thinking of cutting aid to East Timor by 40 percent to divert the funds to the operation to rebuild Iraq.

"Our economic support to East Timor is not decreasing," said the State Department in a written answer to a question taken at spokesman Richard Boucher's daily press briefing.

"We provided US$25 million in foreign assistance to East Timor in 2002 and are providing $25 million in 2003.

"This is the largest U.S. aid program in East Asia on a per capita basis."

The report, out of Tokyo, quoted East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta as saying that U.S. officials were considering cutting aid to East Timor by 40 percent. --AFP