Later in the morning, the new Government of East Timor was officially sworn in, and the National Parliament held its inaugural session. The Parliament was elected in August 2001 for the purpose of drafting a Constitution and its first vote was a resolution seeking United Nations membership.
Secretary-General Annan told the Parliament that he would be honoured to pass its resolution on to the Security Council, adding that, in light of the support he had witnessed, “I do not anticipate any obstacle to your membership”.
The actual proceedings had begun at Taci Tolu, on the outskirts of Dili, at 6 p.m., Sunday evening, with a three-hour Mass celebrated by Bishop Dom Filipe Ximenes Belo. The Mass was followed by elaborate cultural events,as tens of thousands of East Timorese gathered to celebrate the birth of their new nation.
East Timor Bishop Dom Ximenes Belo and Foreign Minister José Ramos Horta were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996. ( For more information, please visit The Nobel Foundation in our LINKS section or at: http://www.nobel.se
More than 90 other nations sent representatives to honor the new nation, including Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Lafer, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio and former United States President Bill Clinton.
Secretary-General Annan told the Parliament that he would be honoured to pass its resolution on to the Security Council, adding that, in light of the support he had witnessed, “I do not anticipate any obstacle to your membership”.
The actual proceedings had begun at Taci Tolu, on the outskirts of Dili, at 6 p.m., Sunday evening, with a three-hour Mass celebrated by Bishop Dom Filipe Ximenes Belo. The Mass was followed by elaborate cultural events,as tens of thousands of East Timorese gathered to celebrate the birth of their new nation.
East Timor Bishop Dom Ximenes Belo and Foreign Minister José Ramos Horta were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996. ( For more information, please visit The Nobel Foundation in our LINKS section or at: http://www.nobel.se
More than 90 other nations sent representatives to honor the new nation, including Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Lafer, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio and former United States President Bill Clinton.