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Government leaders call on donors to remain committed

Countries
Timor-Leste
Sources
UNTAET
Publication date

(extract from UNTAET Daily Briefing)
Chief Minister Mari Alkatiri and Foreign Minister José Ramos-Horta today called on the international community to remain engaged in East Timor after it becomes independent on 20 May.

"While East Timor has been labelled a success story - by East Timorese, the UN, and donors - these successes have to be consolidated," Foreign Minister José Ramos-Horta told journalists at a press conference in Dili. "The international community cannot just leave," he added.

Both Alkatiri and Ramos-Horta expressed confidence that the donor countries gathering in Dili tomorrow for the two-day Donor Meeting for East Timor will meet the requirements outlined by the Government in its proposed budget approved last week.

The US$77 million budget anticipates that the Government will raise US$42 million in revenue from the Timor Sea Arrangement and from on shore taxes over the course of 2002-2003, and will need donor funding to cover the shortfall.

Mari Alkatiri today reiterated that major portions of the proposed budget will be allocated to the education, health, and public works sectors, and that the Government's main target is alleviating poverty within the next five years.

Ministry of Finance officials say the budget delivers on the Government's commitment at the Oslo Donor's Conference in December 2001 to contain growth in medium-term expenditures and provide a plausible donor exit strategy from the provision of direct budget support.

The following 27 countries are attending the 14-15 May Donor Meeting for East Timor: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.