Marli Moreira
Reporter - Agência Brasil

São Paulo - The recent conflicts in East Timor should not modify the activities of the United Nations (UN) in that country, nor should they affect projects carried out in partnership with Brazil, which has focused its assistance on the area of education.

That is the assessment made by the minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, who took part, yesterday (7), in the 9th National Congress of the Workers' Central Union (CUT). Union leaders from 25 countries are attending the event, which is being held in São Paulo.

As Amorim sees it, a measure of security has been restored in Dili, the capital of East Timor. The conflicts presumably arose in consequence of a misunderstanding among members of the military. "I have the impression that things are already settling down, although there were political protests against the prime minister, Mari Alkatin, on Tuesday (6)," the Brazilian chancellor affirmed.

Amorim spoke last week with the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, about the situation in East Timor. "I informed him of the Brazilian government's desire to help in whatever is needed."

The minister recalled that "the independence process in East Timor is one of the most successful cases, and the UN did an outstanding job." The current conflicts appear to be basically reflections of "social problems incited by employment difficulties and police officers who were dismissed."

Translation: David Silberstein