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Prime Minister visits Japan, 17 March 2006
Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri, starts this Wednesday, March 22,
a three day working visit to Japan, which includes meetings with
the Emperor Akihito and the Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
The Timorese chief of Executive will also have meetings with
members of the Japanese Parliament, the Minister and Vice Minister
for Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defence, Japanese businessmen,
and he will participate in a symposium concerning the peace building
at Timor-Leste.
According to the Prime Minister, this visit is important to strengthen
the ties between both States: "Japan is one of the major
development partners of Timor-Leste. In this visit we'll try to
identify new areas for Japan's continuing assistance to our country."
Mari Alkatiri was invited by his counterpart to visit Japan.
The Prime Minister delegation is composed by the Senior Minister
for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, José Ramos-Horta,
and by the Secretary of State for Environmental Coordination,
Territorial Ordering, and Physical Development, João Alves.
In 2001, Mari Alkatiri visited Japan as chief-minister of the
II Transitional Government of UNTAET.
Timor-Leste was the first country after the II World War for which
Japan sent military forces (Engineers) in a United Nations Mission.
The Japanese cooperation in Timor-Leste has four pillars: infrastructure
rebuilding, agriculture and rural development, human resources,
and consolidation of peace. Adding the ongoing projects (which
includes the improvement of roads between Dili and Cassa and improvement
of water supply in the capital city), the total amount of the
Japanese assistance, from 1999, is more then 200 million USD.
The chief of Government will depart Dili next Tuesday, March 21,
at 1.40pm, via Denpasar. The return to Dili is schedule for Sunday,
March 26, at 1.20 pm, at Dili's International Airport, in a flight
from Denpasar. The Timorese delegation will leave Japan on the
25th.
According to the 2005 UNDP Human Development Indicators, Japan
stands as the best 11th country of the world - in a list that
is headed by Norway and in which Timor-Leste appears as the 140th.
The Japanese GDP per capita is 27,967 USD (the Timorese one is
366 USD). The Japanese population is more then 127 million people.
Visit's schedule
Wednesday, 22
10.30am Meeting with Osaka Gas Company
Thursday, 23
9.00am Meeting with Members of Parliament
11.00am Meeting with Prime Minister, Junihiro Koizumi
12.00pm Lunch with representatives from Itochu (services and
trading sector)
4.00pm Meeting with INPEX Corporation (petroleum sector)
5.30pm Dinner hosted by the Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Yasuhisa Shiozaki
8.30pm Meeting with CPLP Ambassadors
Friday, 24
10.30 Audience with the Emperor Akihito
12.00pm Lunch hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Taro
Aso
2.00pm Symposium "Consolidation of Peace in Timor-Leste
and Japan", Tokushoku University
5.00pm Meeting with the Minister of State for Defence, Fukushiro
Nukaga
6.00 Dinner hosted by Liberal Democratic Party Parliamentarians
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