IDENTIDADE TIMORENSE

Judith R. Fergin
US Ambassador
T
hank you for this opportunity
to contribute to the third edition
of the Presidential Magazine.
I would like to honor
the theme of the edition -- "The Affirmation
of Timorese Identity -- Contributions"
-- by celebrating the deep
and long-standing friendship between
Timor-Leste and the United States.
As Timor-Leste enters the second
decade of sovereign independence,
so our two countries are marking the
dawn of the second decade of the
21 st century -- the century of the Asia
Pacific. President Barack Obama
spent his childhood in Southeast Asia
-- he is our first Pacific President.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
keeps her focus firmly on the region -
- in her words, "we know that much of
the history of the 21st century will be
written in Asia."
We have stood side by side throughout
the first momentous decade of
your independence; we will remain
the closest of friends through the decades
ahead. The United States is not
just ready and willing, we are eager
to do so. As Timor-Leste's committed
friend, we look forward to continuing
to work together to support the goals
of human freedom, dignity, and prosperity
here in Timor-Leste and to promote
our shared interests in those
same goals around the world.
When I first visited Timor-Leste
twenty years ago, I witnessed the
courage of students demonstrating
for independence. Throughout the
following years, I joined other Ameri-
A Celebration of the Friendship
between Timor-Leste and the United States
cans in observing with intense interest
Timor-Leste's travel along the
road to independence, from the exhilarating
popular consultation and its
tragic aftermath in 1999 to the joyous
assumption of sovereignty in 2002.
The government and people of Timor
-Leste have met the manifold and
Recently departed Ambassador Klemm, with the secretary of State for Culture, Virgilio Smith,
celebrates the renovation of an Uma Lulik in Hatobuilico; the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural
Preservation supported this important renewal
complex challenges of establishing
an entirely new country from the
ground up with courage and dedication.
Even as a young nation, Timor-
Leste has exhibited a tremendous
Dezembro 2010 – №3
Parseiru ba Dezenvolvimentu
Timorese students participating in the United States-Timor-Leste Scholarship Program interact
with Ambassador Fergin at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii in October
commitment to the principles of democracy
and human rights.
The result is a country that counts, in
the Asia-Pacific and around the
globe.
The United States is proud to be
Timor-Leste's partner in this nationbuilding
endeavor.
We strive to contribute to the
achievement of your aspirations.
Together, Timor-Leste and the United
States have established a rich set of
activities that we hope will make a
difference -- to stability via professionalization
of the police and military
forces; to a vibrant population
through better maternal and child
health; to liberty and fairness through
support for an impartial system of
justice and corruption eradication;
and to prosperity through programs to
advance economic and agricultural
development, reduce poverty, and
create jobs.
We congratulate the government and
people of Timor-Leste upon your
great achievements. We are grateful
for your friendship and look forward
to deepening the relations between
us.
As we both benefit from our membership
in the Asia-Pacific region, let us
seize the opportunities of the Asia-
Pacific century together.
Obrigada barak ba oportunidade
nebe fo mai hau atu fo kontribuisaun
ba revista ida ne’e no mos tamba
amizade nebe buras entre povu rua
ne’e.
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