Former head of UN mission in East Timor gets hero's welcome in Dili
28 August -- As East Timor prepares for the first anniversary of its independence from Indonesia, the former chief of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the territory received a hero's welcome today in Dili when he visited the ongoing congress of an umbrella group of Timorese political groups.
In his speech to the congress of the Council of East Timorese Resistance (CNRT), Ian Martin, the former head of the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), paid tribute to all his former staff. He emphasized, however, that although his personnel had shown courage, in particular the local staff, it was only a fraction of the bravery shown by CNRT activists last year.
Mr. Martin also pointed out that the purpose of the popular consultation had been to give the people of East Timor a choice over their future. "Therefore it is particularly wonderful to return and see the people of East Timor participating in deciding their own future in the kind of free and open discussion that was not possible during the time I first knew East Timor," he said.
According to the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), other foreign dignitaries participating in the anniversary include United States Senator Tom Harkin and Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
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