European Commission welcomes the appointment of José Ramos-Horta as the new Prime Minister of Timor-Leste

President Barroso and Commissioner Louis Michel warmly welcome the inauguration on 10 July of Mr José Ramos-Horta as the new Prime Minister of Timor-Leste. This appointment provides hope for a solution to the recent crisis in Timor-Leste.

The Commission looks forward to the forming of a new Cabinet as soon as possible, in order to launch the process of stabilisation in Timor-Leste.

The Commission has been and remains a committed partner to Timor Leste and will support the new government in its efforts to overcome the current crisis. As a gesture of this commitment, the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has appointed a Special Envoy to Timor-Leste, Mr Miguel Amado, who is already on mission in the country.

Descent into civil war was probably averted thanks to rapid international deployment. In the coming period, the Commission will remain supportive of a multilateral framework for continuing such presence, subject to agreement by the UN Security Council.

The Commission, which has recently committed an additional € 3 million for humanitarian assistance to the 140.000 displaced people of the country, intends to work closely with the new government in order to contribute to addressing the most pressing needs including the immediate challenges of stabilising the nation. To that end, one of the priorities will be the careful preparation of the elections in 2007, which will be crucial to future stability and democratic normalisation of the political situation in Timor Leste.

The European Commission has made more than € 200 million available to Timor-Leste. In addition, a framework programme worth € 18 million to cover the period 2006 and 2007 was signed recently.

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• East Timor: EU Commission allocates €1.5m to victims of internal crisis (1/3/2007)
• EU Presidency Statement - Security Council: Debate on Timor-Leste (15/8/2006)
• European Commission allocates €3 million for victims of internal conflict in Timor Leste (28/6/2006)
• Human rights in East Timor, Syria and North Korea (15/6/2006)
• EU Presidency Statement - Security Council Public Meeting on Timor-Leste  (13/6/2006)
• European Commission allocates €18 million to Timor Leste (19/5/2006)