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ANTARA, JULY 29 1999

E Timor: No Security Reason For Ballot Postponement

New York, July 29 (ANTARA) - The postponement of East Timor's
popular consultation is caused by technical reasons as well as
postponement of the voter registration process, and not because
of security reasons, UN Deputy Spokesman Manoel Almeida e Silva
said here Wednesday.

"The decision of the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to postpone
the East Timor popular consultation is related to technical
problems and the postponement of the registration process,"
Manoel said.

With the delay in the beginning of registration, the time-frame
for the steps which followed registration would have been very
tight before the popular consultation set for August 21 or 22.

"Among those other agendas are the final list of eligible
voters, publication of the list, and the time necessary for
appeals to be raised once the list is published," e Silva said.

Therefore, he added, the main consideration for the postponement
of the popular consultation is the integrity of the process
where all steps of registration, publication of the appeals
process, campaigning, and a cool-off period must be respected.

Previously, Silva confirmed the postponement of East Timor's
popular consultation to August 30. The UN Secretary General has
informed the UN Security Council of the postponement and the
details on his reasoning in taking the decision.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commision in East Timor (UNAMET) and the
Indonesian government are looking into arrangements to register
internally displaced person (IDPs) in Atambua, West Timor.

Some 10,000 East Timorese from the pro-integrationist group has
taken refuge in Atambua.

UNAMET, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Commitee for the Red
Cross (ICRC), and the Indonesian authorities met in Dili to
review the situation of IDPs in three areas, including 3,500
IDPs in Faularan, Liquica district.

(U.LNY01/NN-09/INT-TA/ri1/12:06/TB05)

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Didistribusikan tgl. 3 Aug 1999 jam 06:01:03 GMT+1
oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
http://www.Indo-News.com/
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