East Timor: UN mission chief in Indonesia for first-ever visit

The head of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET), Kamalesh Sharma, met with government and human rights officials today in his first-ever visit to Indonesia.

Mr. Sharma started his visit with a lunch hosted by the Director-General for Multilateral Affairs, Makmur Widodo, during which the two men discussed common issues relating to East Timor and Indonesia.

Afterwards, the UNMISET chief met with the Director and the Secretary General of Indonesia's human rights commission, KPP HAM, for talks on the importance of rule of law in any society, especially developing societies, and various solutions to problems faced by nascent judicial systems.

The human rights officials made a special request for Mr. Sharma to facilitate the establishment of cooperative links with appropriate institutions in East Timor both at the governmental and non-governmental levels.

Mr. Sharma was scheduled to attend a dinner tonight hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirajuda and Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Bambang Yudhoyono, along with several other senior members of the Indonesian government.