92001E0083

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0083/01

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(1 February 2001)

Subject: Aid for development and national self-government in East Timor. Situation of the refugees in West Timor (Indonesia)

What concrete information is available on the aid granted by the EU for economic and social development and the setting-up of institutions of national self-government in East Timor, and what is the present situation concerning this aid? How has this aid contributed to meeting the basic social and economic needs of East Timor's society? What is the situation of the 1000 refugees in West Timor, who are still the target of persecution? What action is the EU taking to enable these refugees to return home?

Reply

(14 May 2001)

The European Community as well as the Member States have provided extensive support to East Timor over the last two years. This support has been provided in a number of ways including through assessed and other contributions to UNTAET, voluntary contributions to the UNTAET and World Bank Trust Funds, humanitarian assistance disbursed through grants to international agencies, organisations and agencies, and bilateral aid programmes on the ground. In addition, a number of Member States have been involved in helping to establish East Timor's institutions, including through identifying its future defence needs and assistance to its judiciary, as well as through providing training and direct contributions in kind to its future Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Council, like the Honourable Member, is also concerned at the plight of the refugees from East Timor who remain in West Timor. It recognises the pressing need for the earliest possible registration, repatriation and resettlement of all the refugees, in conditions of safety and security. It has conveyed these concerns to the Indonesian authorities on a number of occasions, and including at the very highest level. It has reminded the Indonesian Government of its willingness to support, alongside the relevant international organisations, a comprehensive solution to the refugee problem, in conformity with UN Security Council Resolutions 1319 (2000) and 1338 (2001).