The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has called on President Aburrahman Wahid of Indonesia to take urgent action to stop the recent spate of militia incursions into East Timor. On the final day of his official visit to Australia, which followed a private trip to East Timor last week, Mr Ahern released the text of a letter which he wrote to Mr Wahid.
"I visited East Timor some days ago where, as you may know, Ireland contributes a contingent of its Defence Forces to the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). During my visit, I met with the special representative of the UN Secretary General, Mr Sergio de Mello, and with CNRT [National Council for Timorese Resistance] leaders, Mr Xanana Gusmao and Mr Jose Ramos Horta."
At those meetings and during his visit to the Irish troops stationed along the border with West Timor, Mr Ahern wrote that grave concern was expressed at the resurgence of incursions by armed militias from West Timor. "I am sure that you would agree that continued incursions only serve to undermine the mandate of UNTAET and this, of course, would be damaging for East Timor, Indonesia and wider international relations."
He continued: "Your firm action in relation to resolving the more serious difficulties in East Timor of last year, and your expressed goodwill towards a reconciliation between the peoples of the region, as evidenced by your recent visit to Dili, make me confident in my request to you personally for urgent action to halt the current incursions."'
Earlier in Canberra, Mr Ahern attended a reception in the National Gallery of Australia to mark the exhibition of the Book of Kells, which is on loan from Trinity College Dublin.
The director of the gallery, Dr Brian Kennedy, said that the Book of Mark, the earliest written of four gospels in the Book of Kells, was "the single most valuable document which has ever come to Australia".
Mr Ahern also laid a wreath at the Australian War Memorial and visited the museum galleries.
