East Timor: Politics and Government
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Shadow Minister, Foreign Affairs; Cotswold, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings the British ambassador in Jakarta has had with (a) the UN Mission in East Timor and (b) the East Timorese Government to discuss the conduct of the parliamentary elections.

Ian McCartney (Minister of State (Trade & Investment), Department of Trade and Industry; Makerfield, Labour)

Our ambassador in Jakarta has not had any meetings with the UN Mission to East Timor (UNMIT) or the East Timorese Government specifically to discuss the conduct of the forthcoming parliamentary elections in East Timor. An official from our embassy in Jakarta will visit Dili shortly and plans to raise this issue with UNMIT and the East Timorese Government, and highlight the importance of ensuring the elections are conducted in a fair and peaceful manner.

We welcome the fact that all the 16 competing parties have signed both an electoral Code of Conduct and a Political Party Accord, committing themselves to due process in the elections and democratic principles of governance after them. We continue to work through the UN, and with EU partners, to support the democratic process in East Timor.