Written question asked by John Barrett (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 19 May 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 1 June 2009. It was answered by Ivan Lewis (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 June 2009 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Timor-Leste: Politics and Government

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to seek to ensure the stability of the political situation in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.

Answer: I have been asked to reply.Through the UK's membership of the UN Core Group in East Timor, our contributions to the substantial UN and EU assistance programmes and our own more modest bilateral programme of contact and support, we are seeking to reduce Timorese dependence on multilateral interventions and to encourage the development of stronger civil institutions.Our ambassador to Jakarta and his staff maintain a programme of visits the most recent of which was in March 2009.

Secondary information