UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Expresses Gratitude for Philippines' Support in Rebuilding East Timor

Philippine President Joseph Estrada received a visit from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who expressed his gratitude for the Philippines' active efforts in helping East Timor rebuild its economy. Annan thanked President Estrada for promising help for East Timor leaders Jose Ramos-Horta and Xanana Gusmao, and for hosting them in Manila. The President promised to provide technical support to East Timor through a student exchange system, and discussed potential problems related to information technology (IT) and e-commerce.

Key Takeaways:

• UN Secretary General Kofi Annan visited President Joseph Estrada in Manila to express gratitude for the Philippines' support in rebuilding East Timor.
• Annan thanked President Estrada for promising help for East Timor leaders Jose Ramos-Horta and Xanana Gusmao.
• The President promised to provide technical support to East Timor through a student exchange system.
• Annan and Estrada discussed potential problems related to information technology (IT) and e-commerce, including boundary problems on taxation.
• The Philippines is ready to provide support to fresh UN initiatives for Myanmar, including a possible new representative to take charge of a project there.

Statistics:

• The Philippines has been actively involved in helping East Timor rebuild its economy.
• President Estrada has promised to provide technical support to East Timor through a student exchange system.
• The Philippines has a comparative edge in fields such as information technology (IT) and e-commerce.
• Boundary problems on taxation were discussed as potential issues related to IT and e-commerce.

Sources:

• [Asia Pulse, Feb 14]