There are no guarantees that Indonesian forces will withdraw, so it's important not only to have UN presence in East Timor, not just monitors but armed peacekeepers,'' he said. Organised under the CNRT, the Melbourne meeting is the second of a series of international consultations on East Timor's future. The first, held in Algarve, Portugal in October 1998, saw the creation of working groups for areas including health, education, women, economic development and other sectors. Solidarity groups, international experts, World Bank and other donor officials are also attending the conference. Organisers say the meeting will try to formulate a concrete policy blueprint for everything from the status of women to mass communications, and the provision of infrastructure in an independent East Timor.
Decolonisation is a two-step process.
The second stage is more complex. This involves the redefinition of the self from colonised to freedom, from victim to victor,'' he added. He said there is a need, after 23 years of civil war, to bring not just peace but restore ''some measure of prosperity'' to East Timor. This conference is an attempt to include all East Timorese people regardless of their political affiliation,'' said Milena Pirez, a London-based expert on gender.