Friday endorsed a resolution put forward by Indonesia and Portugal calling for the removal of the East Timor question from the U.N. agenda. For the first time in 17 years, the U.N. General Assembly held a discussion of the East Timor issue with Indonesia and Portugal proposing the scrapping of the issue from the assembly's agenda.
Today is a historic moment.
Makarim said he felt relieved that the East Timor issue had ended. The Portuguese envoy to the United Nations, Antonio Monteiro, said the resolution to delete the question of East Timor from the U.N. agenda was an historic event for the East Timorese people as well as the United Nations itself. The former Portuguese colony is now on its way to become an independent state in accordance with the results of a UN-administered referendum last August 30. More than 75 percent of East Timorese taking part in the ballot voted for independence as opposed to remaining part of Indonesia with wide-ranging autonomy. The United Nations which now oversees East Timor will discuss the situation in East Timor during its transitional period at its General Assembly session next year .