Foreign Minister of Indonesia Hassan Wirajuda and Foreign Minister of Timor Leste Ramos Horta will attend the first meeting of the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) in Denpasar, Bali on 4-5 August 2005. The Commission will conduct its first meeting with a view to reaching an agreed arrangement regarding its working procedures, reporting mechanism, the election of the co-chairmen, as well as the possibility of establishing subsidiary bodies.

          The Commission are manned by ten eminent personalities, as follows :

Indonesia : Mr. Achmad Ali, Mr. Wisber Loeis, Mr. Benjamin Mangkudilaga, Mgr. Petrus Turang and Mr. Agus Widjojo.

Timor Leste : Mr. Jacinto Alves, Mr. Diorinicio Babo, Mr. Aniceto Guterres, Ms. Felicidade Guterres and Mr. Cirilio Varadales.

Based on the agreement reached by the leaders of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste in Bali on 14 December 2004 on the establishment of the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF); and the Commission's Terms of Reference agreed upon by the two sides in Jakarta on 9 March 2005, the objective of the Commission is to establish the conclusive truth in regard to the events prior to and immediately after the popular consultation in 1999, with a view to further promoting reconciliation and friendship between the two neighbouring countries, and ensuring the non-recurrence of similar events in the future.

The Government of Indonesia wishes to call on all parties to render their support to the Commission to ensure it can achieve its lofty objectives.

                                                                                                                                                            Canberra, 4 August 2005

Media inquiries : contact the Information Officer of the Embassy at + 612 62508642