Timor-Leste, 2003

At the outset,

allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to

preside over the work of this session of the General

Assembly. We are confident that you will draw on all

your experience and wisdom to conduct successfully

the work of this Assembly. I assure you of all the

support and cooperation of my delegation and wish you

success in your task.

I would also like to congratulate the former

President, Mr. Jan Kavan, for the exceptional way in

which he presided over the work of the fifty-seventh

session.

I speak today with a mixture of happiness and

sorrow. I am happy to address the Assembly for the

first time in this plenary in my capacity as Prime

Minister of my young country, after more than two

decades of having sought understanding and support

for the cause of my people and having often lobbied for

support in the corridors of this building. I am also

deeply saddened, however, for having lost, just over a

month ago, an old friend — Mr. Sergio Vieira

de Mello — an innocent victim of intolerance,

extremism and terrorism. I wish to pay tribute to his

memory and to all those who have served the United

Nations and lost their lives in Baghdad and other

turbulent regions of the world.

It was under the guidance of Secretary-General

Kofi Annan, represented in Timor-Leste by

Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, that exactly one year ago

the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste became the

191st Member of this Organization. The President of

the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste,

Mr. Xanana Gusmão, and I bore witness to that historic

act.

Since then, our country has experienced

significant progress in the consolidation of our nascent

democracy. My Government has presided over the

strengthening of national cohesion and has given

priority to the unequivocal affirmation of the Republic

as a democratic State founded on the rule of law by

taking normative measures in governance to implement

the provisions of a modern Constitution drafted by the

Timorese and adopted by an Assembly democratically

elected by the people.

Open governance is one of the programmes of my

Government. Based on the principles of good

governance, inclusion, participation of the individual

and collective responsibility, open governance was

initiated in January this year. It consists of bringing the

Government to the people in the remote areas of the

country to hear first hand their priorities, problems and

needs, as well as to clarify to the people the national

development plan, the Government programme,

available resources and the challenges ahead. It also

seeks to instil a greater sense of responsibility in the

people and to make them better understand the need for

their participation in the reconstruction of the country

vis-à-vis the implementation of the national plan, the

methods of achieving the objectives of economic

growth and of the reduction and eradication of poverty.

In relation to the legislative process, we have

prioritized the adoption of laws for the foundation of

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the State, above all in order to avoid taking

discretionary and subjective measures that are without

legal foundation. Hence, more than 30 decrees and

laws have been adopted by the Government for

approval by the National Parliament. In this manner,

we will create an institutional culture of democracy,

giving basis to a democratic State founded on the rule

of law and the principle of good governance.

The challenges are enormous, however. Of the

900 schools destroyed in 1999, around 700 have been

rehabilitated and more than 30 new schools

constructed. Despite this, 25 per cent of our children

remain without access to education.

In the tertiary sector, we have a national

university with more than 7,000 students. Hundreds of

candidates are frustrated that their expectations of

graduating from the national university have not been

met. We now have a proliferation of institutions of

higher learning that are not officially recognized by the

Government. To deal with this situation, the

Government has assumed the responsibility of

preparing rules.

In health care, similar challenges are being faced.

Much of the infrastructure has been rehabilitated and

more is being built, but the people want more

assistance and means of support. They ask for more

doctors, more nurses, more midwives, more

ambulances and health centres closer to their villages.

A national health policy has been adopted by the

Government. We hope soon to be able to reduce the

difficulties in this area with the cooperation of the

People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Cuba

in the provision of doctors to operate in the rural areas.

In agriculture, more than 60 per cent of the

irrigation system has been repaired and new systems

have been built. It is important now to instruct farmers

in the best methods of use for their systems and to

make them responsible for the maintenance of those

systems while the remainder is being repaired.

In infrastructure, in general, the repairs and

maintenance have been slow and difficult. There are

6,000 kilometres of roads to be rehabilitated and

maintained, and our people are demanding the opening

of many others. Many bridges need to be rebuilt,

completed or built outright.

We also are facing problems in the electrical

sector, which is in deficit. We have re-established

electricity production in all districts and in 55 of the 65

sub-districts. Dili, the capital, has power 24 hours a

day. In the meantime, it is the policy of my

Government to identify and develop alternative sources

of energy that are more accessible and sustainable.

Currently, we are conducting a feasibility study of such

resources, in particular in the area of hydropower.

Access to running water for consumption is very

limited. However, it is undeniable that the number of

people with access to running water is increasing daily,

more so than in 1999.

In the area of telecommunications, we are

implementing an ambitious project overseen by Timor-

Leste Telecom through a concession in the build-

operate-transfer system.

At the end of this year, all district capitals will

have at their disposal fixed and mobile telephones, for

both domestic and international purposes. With the

completion and installation of the telecommunications

system, we will also create the technical conditions

necessary for the development of television and radio,

delivering the best service in the media sector, which is

free, vibrant and responsible.

The process of reconstruction is taking place in

an environment of peace and stability. However, areas

that are key for guaranteeing the sustainability and

credibility of the entire process, such as the judicial

system, defence and security, will continue to require

substantial assistance and support for some time to

come.

In other sectors of the Administration, we need

qualified people to assist in the development of the

capacity of the Timorese, in particular in the

consolidation of the financial and banking systems,

border control, legislative drafting and the definition of

a national policy, promotion of investment and

technology transfer.

With this in mind, I would like to reiterate that, in

order to guarantee the sustainability of the entire

process and to meet two major aspirations – that of our

people for peace, democracy and development, and that

of the international community to continue to promote

Timor-Leste as a success story, we must not forget to

say the following.

To our people, we would say — as we have been

doing — that they should be more patient. Above all,

7

we must demand their participation and that they

shoulder their responsibilities.

We ask the international community for

consistency, continued dynamic partnership and

support.

To the General Assembly in particular, we ask

that it endorse the Economic and Social Council’s

decision to include Timor-Leste in the list of least

developed countries.

In keeping with its history of struggling for

human dignity, my country has ratified a number of

important international human rights treaties. We are

aware that the ratification of these international

instruments creates legal obligations, and the Timorese

State will do its utmost to implement its commitments

under those instruments.

With regard to external relations, we continue to

develop ties of friendship and cooperation with our

neighbours, namely, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia,

Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, and in particular

with our two closest neighbours, Indonesia and

Australia.

As Prime Minister, I have made official or

working visits to Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines,

Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, Mozambique,

Angola, Portugal and the People’s Republic of China.

At the beginning of this month, a meeting of the

Joint Indonesia-Timor-Leste Ministerial Commission

was held with a view to resolving a number of residual

issues of recent years, as well as to promoting new

cooperation in the areas of commerce, investment,

development, education, health and security. The

meeting had a positive outcome. We hope to finalize

the demarcation of our land boundary this year in order

to begin negotiations on our maritime boundaries.

Boundaries, whether land or sea, define the territory of

a country. Within a territory, one can exercise powers

of sovereignty or jurisdiction. For this reason, Timor-

Leste, having as its neighbours two large and friendly

countries — Indonesia and Australia — hopes to see its

borders with both countries demarcated or delimited by

the end of my Government’s mandate, so that all the

resources belonging to the people of Timor-Leste can

be exploited in a free and sovereign manner, for the

benefit of present and future generations of Timorese.

The relationship between Timor-Leste and its

neighbours is developing in a constructive and dynamic

manner at the bilateral, trilateral and multilateral

levels.

Timor-Leste enjoys special observer status in the

Pacific Forum and has participated as a guest in the

Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Timor-Leste is a fully fledged member of the

Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries; the

African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Union; the

World Bank; the International Monetary Fund; the

Asian Development Bank; and various specialized

United Nations agencies.

The fight against terrorism, organized crime and

trafficking in human beings, drugs and illegal arms is

at the top of the agenda, regionally and in Timor-Leste.

We will make every effort to contribute to the

eradication of these ills, which are turning into a real

epidemic with the development of new technology.

Timor-Leste is a country of South-east Asia

which is linked to the Pacific by geography, history and

culture. Our people are proud to be part of this great

geographical region of Asia and Oceania — rich in

history, culture and civilization, and comprising more

than one fifth of humanity. We are deeply grateful to all

our Asian brothers — Japan, the People’s Republic of

China, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, India,

Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand — who have

responded without fail to our appeal for assistance, on

a major or modest scale, depending on the capacity and

experience of each country. We are grateful to all of

them.

I have just concluded a visit to the People’s

Republic of China. Within weeks, Timor-Leste will

receive the Prime Minister of Malaysia,

Mr. Mahathir Mohamad. In December, we will be

honoured with a visit from the Prime Minister of the

Kingdom of Thailand.

We continue to strengthen our relationships with

other countries in South-east Asia, in particular Brunei

Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam.

We deem it regrettable that the process of

dialogue and national reconciliation in Myanmar is at a

standstill. Timor-Leste associates itself with the

concerns and disappointments of our friends in

ASEAN, and we join our voice with those of others in

the international community to appeal for the

immediate release of Mrs. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and

of all others who are being detained, and for the

8

resumption of talks and of the process of reconciliation

and democratization.

My Government takes note of the commitments

undertaken by General Khin Nyunt, Prime Minister of

the Union of Myanmar, in his speech of 30 August

2003. We would like to express our deep concern at the

abandonment by the Democratic People’s Republic of

Korea of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and its stated intention to

produce nuclear weapons. The Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea has three countries as its neighbours

that over the years have demonstrated friendship and

solidarity. None of those three countries presents any

threat to its security or sovereignty, thus the production

of nuclear weapons cannot be justified.

Timor-Leste is a small country with a small

population. Nonetheless, it has coastlines on two

oceans and is linked to two continents. Historically, we

were for five centuries the only Portuguese colony in

the region, and, during a quarter century, a territory

occupied by Indonesia. More than 90 per cent of the

population of my country is Catholic, and there are also

two minority religious groups — Protestants and

Muslims.

History determined that we would be different.

Our geographical situation conferred on us conditions

for converging and relating. We remain different and,

within that difference, we find our identity and sense of

openness and tolerance. We know that we have

something to give, but we also have much to receive.

I am a Muslim of Arab descent and the Prime

Minister of a country with a Catholic majority. Our tiny

Muslim community lives in peace and tranquillity,

integrated into society in general without losing its

identity and without feeling alienated or discriminated

against. The Timorese Catholic leadership has been

exemplary in preaching respect and tolerance in

relation to all religious faiths, constantly searching for

dialogue, cooperation, participation and mutual respect.

My country does not intend to put itself forward

as a model of tolerance, mutual respect and coexistence

between religions. I am speaking about our experience

only to say that in this world of hate, violence,

intolerance and extremism, there are some oases of

tolerance, peace and tranquillity that deserve to be the

source of new energy.

Fanatics and extremists have existed throughout

history and no region or civilization in the world can

claim exclusive rights to virtue or truth. In this

globalized world, there is no place for racial or

cultural, much less religious, superiority. Extremists

and terrorists have always existed. The fundamental

difference is that the terrorists of today benefit from

globalization and make use of modern technology as a

means of achieving their objectives.

It is rhetoric, and unacceptable, to define different

civilizations and religions as a target. The fundamental

reason for violence in the world is inequality in

development and, in particular, the injustice of the

international economic order. The target of extremists

and Islamic terrorists is not the West, its culture and

dominant religions. Rather, it should be stated that the

West is a target as a consequence of the global order.

We are witnessing a new reality. The agenda of

the extremists is primarily the toppling of moderate and

elite regimes and the imposition of theocratic systems

in which the universal values embraced by a

democratic State are called into question, as they

contradict their views. Such an agenda would mean a

return to the Middle Ages, with the Islamic extremists

determining the fate of their citizens.

The fight against extremism, fanaticism and

terrorism must be waged on all fronts. One is the

military front, where action must be seriously thought

through and always implemented with great caution

and clear-sightedness. The other fronts include the

political, economic and social. The fight against

poverty and exclusion must be integrated into our

global strategy in the war against terrorism.

My Government congratulates the people of Iraq

on the end of one of the bloodiest dictatorships in

history. The people of Timor-Leste know only too well

the significance of a dictatorship. In order to be free of

it, we sacrificed hundreds of thousands of our children

in decades of unequal struggle.

During our struggle for independence and

democracy, we always believed that our efforts should

be focused on re-establishing international legality in

our country, ensuring that the United Nations take

responsibility and demanding that the international

community respect the Charter and United Nations

resolutions on Timor-Leste.

9

My Government defends the concept that the

central role of the United Nations must be respected by

all countries, in particular those with the means and

resources to strengthen the role of our Organization.

With regard to the situation in Iraq, it is urgent

that international legality be re-established in that

country. The only legitimate means of transferring

sovereignty to the people of Iraq is to hand over power

to their democratically elected representatives.

We believe that the Arab League must be a

privileged partner of the United Nations in the process

of transition and reconstruction in Iraq. As it is a

regional organization representing more than 200

million people who mostly profess the same religion,

speak the same language and are of the same cultural

and historical origin, it must not be ignored or

bypassed when its own interests and that of the region

are at stake.

My country is a good example of the kind of a

partnership that can develop when the United Nations

and its obvious natural role in the resolution of

conflicts and the mobilization of international

consensus is recognized. Each process is unique and

has its own dimensions and characteristics, but our

positive experience can be repeated in other places, and

can serve as a reference point for Iraq.

I would like to comment on two issues related to

the Middle East, beginning with Palestine. We express

our deep disappointment that the peace process has

regressed and that violence has escalated in that part of

the world. We feel encouraged by the presentation of

the road map, and hope that it can assist in accelerating

the peace process.

We reaffirm our support for the road map and for

the right of the people of Palestine to self-

determination, independence and the establishment of

an independent and sovereign State. We appeal to all

the parties in that bloody conflict to cease all forms of

violence, to resume dialogue and rigorously to respect

the road map as agreed to with the Quartet.

With respect to Western Sahara, the Arab and

Muslim people of that former Spanish Territory

continue to wait patiently for the holding of a

referendum on self-determination, as agreed to by all

parties in 1994. We appeal to the General Assembly,

the Secretary-General, the Security Council, the Arab

League and the African Union to encourage both

parties to return to direct dialogue with a view to

establishing a definitive date for the holding of the

referendum on self-determination in the territory of

Western Sahara.

My Government is closely following the situation

in Guinea-Bissau. While deploring the military coup

that toppled the elected President, we are relieved that

there was no bloodshed or loss of life. My Government

supports the holding of new elections with a view to

the restoration of a constitutional democratic order, if

possible within the framework of the United Nations

and the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries,

to achieve the necessary support for the bringing of

peace, stable government and economic recovery.

We regret the breakdown in talks during the most

recent round of the World Trade Organization

Ministerial Conference held in Cancun. The

industrialized nations must understand that the

international trade systems must be rectified. It is

neither ethical nor moral for the rich countries to

preach democracy, human rights and the dogma of a

free market, while practising protectionist policies that

condemn hundreds of millions of human beings to

perpetual poverty and dependency. It is less than

ethical when they teach the rules of the free market

while subsidizing their farmers with billions of dollars,

making the products of our countries, which have a

greater comparative advantage, increasingly less

competitive.

Timor-Leste has benefited from international

solidarity, and we are grateful for that. But we cannot

remain silent in the face of injustices and anti-

economic policies that impoverish the rest of the

world. We appeal for the renegotiation of debt and for

debt relief for the poor and indebted countries. But we

also believe that debt relief must be proportional to the

measures taken by each country in adopting strategies

for sustainable development and focusing on the

eradication of poverty. This means increased

expenditure on public health and education, reduced

military expenditure, the strengthening of democratic

institutions, the promotion of human rights and the

independence of the judiciary. Those are conditions

that are indispensable for peace and prosperity.

In conclusion, I would like to touch on the theme

of reform of the United Nations. The creation of this

institution was the result of the collective experience of

humankind, victim of the greatest scourge in history.

10

We congratulate the founders on their vision, but we

are conscious that the institution reflects the reality of

that period. In 1945 there were merely 51 Members,

and it was viewed as a club for the rich and powerful, a

“white man’s club”. But the United Nations today is a

truly global institution, with 191 Members.

The recent experience of Iraq provoked a new

debate on the need for the structural reform of our

institution, beginning with the Security Council, which

is increasingly being called upon to provide opinions

and to intervene in many regions of the world. We

support an increase in the number of permanent

members of the Security Council to reflect the current

demographic reality and the new world balance.

Many people are frequently asking themselves,

and asking out loud, a few questions, such as “Is it fair

for the Western Group to have three permanent seats in

the Security Council, while Asia has only one and

Africa and Latin America have none? Is it possible that

India, the largest democracy in the world, with more

than one billion inhabitants, does not have the same

status as others? Is it possible that Brazil, with the

world’s ninth largest economy and Latin America’s

largest, a crossroads of races and civilizations — Ibero-

Latin American, African and indigenous people —

does not have status as a permanent member of the

Security Council?” Throughout its history, Brazil has

shown prudence and balance in the conduct of its

foreign politics, an active and constructive engagement

at the regional and international level and always a

voice of moderation and dialogue.

There are certain procedures that may have been

understandable during the cold war period. But today

the way must be made for principles of democratic

decision-making that are acceptable and universally

practiced. We must question these paradigms.

We also believe that the term of the mandate for

non-permanent members must be reduced to between

six months and one year. That will give the 191

members of our Organization the opportunity to serve

in this organ. Besides, a shorter period will allow the

less privileged to feel the desire to invest their human

and financial resources to serve on the Security

Council.

The reform and the democratization of a number

of organs of our Organization are necessary and urgent.

The errors and failures of the past, when the Security

Council was powerless and indifferent to human

tragedy, should compel us all to have the courage to

accept a fair share of the decision-making that affects

us all.

Let the big, rich and powerful know that humility

is the greatest virtue. Leadership means knowing how

to dialogue, persuade and build alliances and

consensus. There are challenges ahead. There are many

threats. The resources of 191 countries are represented

in this huge Organization. To respond to these

challenges and threats, we must unite and build bridges

of consensus and active cooperation.

Allow me to conclude by saying that the future

belongs to the optimists. We are here today because we

favour optimism. That is why the struggle must

continue.