FOURTH INTRA-EAST TIMORESE DIALOGUE OPENS NEAR VIENNA

29 October 1998

Press Release
SG/2049

FOURTH INTRA-EAST TIMORESE DIALOGUE OPENS NEAR VIENNA

19981029 VIENNA, 29 October (UN Information Service) -- A fourth meeting of the All-inclusive Intra-East Timorese Dialogue (AIETD) opens on 31 October near Vienna in Austria. Until 3 November, efforts will be made to bring together Timorese from all sides to reach concrete solutions at a time of changed political environment and a backdrop of the substantial negotiations held by the Secretary General with all sides.

The meeting is a follow-up to three previous meetings which were also held in Austria in June 1995, in March 1996 and in October 1997. The meeting will be opened by Ambassador Jamsheed Marker, Personal Representative of the Secretary-General for East Timor.

The AIETD is a process that was initiated by the Secretary-General in 1995 within the framework of his good offices on the question of East Timor. The Secretary-General facilitates and provides the necessary arrangements for the dialogue without taking part in the discussions. The AIETD is not a parallel track to the tripartite negotiating process between Indonesia and Portugal under the auspices of the Secretary-General. It is a forum designed to complement the tripartite talks through the informal exchange of views amongst East Timorese of all shades of political opinion to explore practical ideas that might have a positive impact on the situation in East Timor and assist in the establishment of an atmosphere conducive to the achievement of a solution to the question of East Timor.

The first AIETD meeting took place at Burg Schlaining, Austria, from 3 to 5 June 1995 with the participation of 30 East Timorese. The second meeting was held at the same venue from 19 to 22 March 1966; the third meeting was held from 20 to 23 October 1997 at Krumbach Castle. All three meetings adopted declarations that covered important issues of relevance to the situation in East Timor. The proposals that have emerged from the AIETD have been considered at the tripartite talks.

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