E TIMOR YET TO OBJECT TO PRESENCE OF INT'L MART IN MOTA AIN, SAYS ENVOY

Antara - The Indonesian National News Agency

January 17, 2007 Wednesday


East Timor only made a note but had yet to object to the establishment of an international bus terminal and market at the main border post in Mota Ain, Tasifeto Timur subdistrict, Belu district, East Nusa Tenggara province, an envoy has said.

"No official objection to us. They only made a note recently and it was already settled and a common solution had been reached as the bus terminal and market were set up for a common interest," Indonesia's ambassador to East Timor, Ahmed B Sofwan, told ANTARA on Wednesday.

Small part of the land where the bus terminal and the market were built belongs to the neighbouring country.

Based on the measurement result made by the National Coordination Agency for Survey and Mapping Affairs, it was found that several meters of land in the north margin of the international terminal and market complex belongs to East Timor.

However, the complex directly borders on the median of Mota Ain river which serves as the two countries' natural border.

In response to the matter, Belu district head Joachim Lopez had recently sent a letter to the East Nusa Tenggara provincial administration calling for dismantling part of the wall of the complex to prevent from unnecessary problems between the two countries in the
Future.

Lopez said the problem was feared to pose a hurdle in the bilateral relations in the future if the two countries did not find any solution acceptable to the two sides.

Lopez said he had recently received an official explantion on the issue from Sofwan in Atambua.

Sofwan said although the Indonesian government had yet to dedicate the terminal and market complex, daily trade activities between the two countries have been running at the main border gate.

Indonesia deals with products of daily necessities including capital goods, building materials, garment and food to the nascent state which exports agricultural commodities to its neighbouring country.

The establishment of the Indonesia-East Timor bus terminal and market complex in Mota Ain is now under the finishing touch. The Indonesian government would reportedly dedicate the complex in the near future.

"East Timor has since long asked to open the international market soon. However, we have to wait for the central government's decision on the matter," Sofwan said.

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