More than 80 nations accept UN invitation to attend East Timor independence ceremony

More than 80 countries have so far accepted invitations from United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to be on hand for independence ceremonies later this month in East Timor as the territory prepares to become the first new nation of the new millennium.

The Secretary-General, UN General Assembly President Han Seung-soo of the Republic of Korea and representatives from at least 84 countries will join up to 200,000 East Timorese on the night of 19-20 May at a ceremony being held on the outskirts of Dili.

According to a preliminary programme of events, following an elaborate cultural ceremony incorporating traditional music and dancing, Mr. Annan and Mr. Han will address East Timor during the final minutes of the UN's two-and-a-half-year transitional administration. At midnight, the Secretary-General will hand over power to Parliament President Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres.

The UN flag will then be lowered, the new East Timorese national flag will be raised, and Lu-Olo will declare East Timor's birth as an independent nation. Xanana Gusmão, the landslide winner of the 14 April election, will be sworn in as President and give an address to his nation punctuated with a massive fireworks display.

On 20 May, the Government of East Timor will be sworn in, and the National Parliament - elected in August 2001 to draft a Constitution - will hold its inaugural session. In the afternoon, the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Nations will hold a summit in Dili.

Among the 84 national delegations, Heads of State will lead at least eight of them. Three prime ministers are also expected to attend, as well as two deputy prime ministers and at least 13 foreign ministers.