Mr. Speaker, I would like to report to the House that we had a very useful discussion with José Ramos-Horta this morning during which he expressed appreciation for the strong interest the Canadian government has taken in supporting initiatives in East Timor.
I indicated to him that we are strongly supportive of the UN sponsored process of negotiations going on. In fact, I met with Portuguese officials on the weekend to discuss this and we also indicated that we believe there has to be a full involvement of East Timorese people in whatever arrangements are made. To that end, we have agreed to provide direct funding to a major meeting of the East Timor network dialogue group which brings together all parties to the dispute to find a resolution.