Financial Assistance to All-Inclusive Intra-East Timorese Dialogue

November 11, 1998

1. On November 3, the Government of Japan decided to extend financial assistance of 44,000 dollars for meetings and other expenses, in order to support financially the implementation of the Fourth All-Inclusive Intra-East Timorese Dialogue under the U.N. Secretary-General's initiative.
   
   
2. The establishment of the All-Inclusive Intra-East Timorese Dialogue was proposed by the U.N. Secretary-General with a view to creating an environment for solving the problems of East Timor. Based on the proposal, the first meeting of the Dialogue was held in Austria in June 1995 following the Foreign Ministerial talks between Indonesia and Portugal held in January of the same year. The decision to hold the fourth dialogue was made in October this year in New York at the Senior Officials' Meeting between Indonesia and Portugal, and the dialogue took place from October 31 to November 3 this year in Austria. The second meeting, which was held in March 1996 in Austria, was participated in by East Timorese who reside in and outside the area, to exchange views on issues including the East Timorese culture, human resources development, and an expanding role for East Timorese in the administration as well as development. The construction of a cultural center in Dili and the promotion of personnel training for East Timorese residents were agreed on at the third meeting.
   
   
3. The Government of Japan supports the U.N. Secretary-General's mediation efforts on the East Timor issues, which it hopes will be solved peacefully through talks between the parties concerned based on that mediation. It also expects that Japan's present contribution will support these efforts towards a solution.
   The Government of Japan also provided financial assistance at the second and the third meetings.
   
   

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