Office of the President of the Millennium Assembly
55th session of the United Nations General Assembly
 
 
 

PRESS RELEASE: PRESIDENT OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY
VISITS SINGAPORE, EAST TIMOR, INDONESIA

Mr. Harri Holkeri, President of the General Assembly, made a week-long visit to the South-East Asian region on 10-17 January 2001, visiting Singapore, East-Timor and Indonesia. Mr. Holkeri visited the region at the invitation of the Singaporean and Indonesian Governments and United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET).

In Singapore, the President met with the Foreign Minister of Singapore, Professor S. Jayakumar, as well as with Dr. Ow Chin Hock, Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry. During his three-day stay in Jakarta, he had meetings with President Abdurrahman Wahid, Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab, Attorney General Marzuki Darusman, Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Economic Affairs, Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as well with Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Rizal Ramli. He also met with both the Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly, Mr. Amin Rais and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Akbar Tandjung.

The President's programme also included a meeting with Ambassador Makarim Wibisono, Director-General for Foreign Economic Relations at the Foreign Ministry, as well as with representatives of the local diplomatic community and the office of the United Nations in Jakarta. In Denpasar, the President met with Major-General Willem da Costa, Chief of Udayana Regional Command, which encompasses, i.a., West Timor.

In East Timor the President had a series of meeting in Dili, during which he was briefed extensively about the activities of UNTAET by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello and other officials of UNTAET. He also met with local political leaders, including Xanana Gusmao, President of the National Council for Timorese Resistance (CNRT), and Mario Carrascaleo, CNRT Vice-President. Both the Force Commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (PKF) in East Timor, General Boonsrang Niumpradit, and the Commissioner of Civil Police, Mr. Jose Luis da Costa e Sousa, briefed the President on their respective activities. The President also met with the Heads of United Nations Agencies in East Timor as well as with representatives of the local diplomatic community.

In addition to his programme in Dili, the President paid a half-day visit to Suai in the South-Western part of the country, where he was given a briefing on the various aspects of the operation of UNTAET District Administration and the Sector West PKF. In 1999, Suai church was site of a massacre which claimed dozens of lives. The President laid a wreath at the massacre site, followed by a welcome at the Peace and Reconciliation Centre and a discussion with the local members of the District Advisory Council.

With his interlocutors in Singapore and Jakarta, the President had extensive discussions about the work of the United Nations Millennium Assembly. He highlighted the recent accomplishments of the main part of the 55th GA, such as, launching of the follow-up to the Millennium Summit and implementation of the Brahimi report, adoption of the new scales of assessments. In Singapore, the President attended a roundtable discussion on these and other UN issues at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies. In Jakarta, he addressed the Indonesia Council on World Affairs on the issue of strengthening the UN system. The full text of his address is available on the "Statements and Messages" page.

A central theme on the President's discussion agenda in Jakarta was the situation in both East and West Timor, in particular the question of disarming the militias in West Timor, ensuring safety and security in the refugee camps and for humanitarian workers, preventing cross-border incursions into East Timor, bringing to justice those responsible for the attacks on international personnel, as well as the eventual safe return of refugees who choose to go back to East Timor. The Indonesian hosts assured the President of their co-operation and determination to facilitate refugee return. The hosts also expressed their hope that the United Nations and especially the UNHCR could soon return to West Timor. Other issues that the discussions touched upon included the process of democratization in Indonesia, the situation in the provinces, as well as general macroeconomic trends in the country.