Celebrating Diplomacy: 25 years of the May 5th Agreements

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Agreements between Portugal and Indonesia, mediated by the United Nations, on the issue of Timor-Leste’s self-determination.

To mark the date, the International Conference “Celebrating diplomacy: 25 years of the May 5th agreements” will take place next Wednesday, May 8th, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On that date, in New York, three agreements were signed:

– The “Agreement between the Republic of Indonesia and the Portuguese Republic regarding the question of Timor-Leste”, which provided for the consideration of the people of Timor-Leste, inside and outside the territory, the constitutional framework for special autonomy for Timor-Leste. East within the unitary republic of Indonesia, through a popular consultation based on a direct, secret and universal vote;

– The “Agreement relating to the modalities of popular consultation with the people of Timor-Leste, through a direct vote”, in which it was anticipated that the vote would be held on August 8, 1999;

– And the security agreement which stated that the responsibility for a safe environment free from violence and other forms of intimidation, as well as the general maintenance of law and order, rested with the Indonesian security authorities.

The Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs intends to mark this historic date by bringing together the main players in this negotiation to, from a historical and prospective perspective, analyze the consequences of this agreement for Timor-Leste, Indonesia, the United Nations and Portugal.

The conference will feature speakers such as Jaime Gama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal in 1983-85 and 1995-2002; Ian Martin, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Timor-Leste between 1999 and 2000, Alwi Shihab, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia between 1999-2001, and will be closed by the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel .

Location: Largo das Necessidades (State Protocol entrance) – Lisbon