Meeting of the Council of Ministers of September 11, 2019
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers of September 11, 2019
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and heard a presentation by the Minister of State of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira and the team of experts at DLA Piper, on the options for the Civil aviation sector for Timor-Leste. The presentation aimed to show the strategic options more appropriate for the short, medium and long-term, which may be available to the Government, so as to ensure air transportation and avoid the isolation imposed by the competitive market of the airline sector.
The Minister of Defense, Filomeno da Paixão de Jesus, made a presentation to the Council of Ministers on the definition of a military strategic concept (CEM) for Timor-Leste. The creation of this strategic military concept has as a base the legislation in force and aims to strengthen the national Armed Forces and to enhance national security, according to the evolution of local, regional and global security.
The Council of Ministers heard a presentation by the Minister for Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, on the proposal of the Compact Development Team – Timor-Leste (CDT-TL) on the components of the program to be submitted to the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). This program specifically seeks to address the country's economic challenges, as jointly identified by Timor-Leste and MCC, aims to combat poverty and to raise national economic growth and its four components are: supply of clean water, sanitation and drainage; education and training; nutrition; and commercial dispute resolution.
The Council of Ministers approved a Government Resolution, presented by the Acting Minister of Finance, Sara Lobo Brites, on the definition of composition of the Political Review Committee with the aim of verifying the strategic allocation of resources towards achieving the commitments and objectives contained in the strategic documents and to assess the feasibility of the plans for the financial year 2020.
The Minister of Justice, Manuel Cárceres da Costa, presented a proposal for a Government Resolution on the authorization to acquire service firearms for the personnel of the Scientific Police of Criminal Investigation (PCIC), which as Criminal Police force has as its mission to assist judicial authorities, develop and promote prevention, detection, investigation under its own responsibilities or those assigned to them competent judicial authorities, as well as ensuring that the national centralization of criminal information and respective operational coordination and international police cooperation.
The Council of Ministers gave full powers to the Minister of Justice for the conclusion of an agreement between the Ministry of Justice of Timor-Leste and the University of Coimbra, Portugal, for the establishment of academic, scientific and cultural cooperation, in the framework of the training of magistrates, public defenders and Timor-Leste law graduates.
The Minister of Justice also presented a proposal for a Deliberation of the Council of Ministers on the amendment of the cooperation Protocol between the Ministries of Justice of Timor-Leste and Portugal in the area of justice, signed on 25 February 2016.The proposal for Deliberation, approved by the Council of Ministers, seeks to amend the remuneration criteria due to technical hiring in support of judicial operation, advisories and consultations and human resources training. The amendment to the cooperation protocol will be signed by the Ministers of Justice of the two countries on 17 September.
The Government approved a proposal for Deliberation of the Council of Ministers, presented by the Acting Minister of State Administration, Abílio José Caetano, on Timor-Leste’s support to the presidential elections of Guinea-Bissau in November 2019. The Council of Ministers was responding to a request for technical and financial support for the organization and conducting of presidential Elections requested by the Guinean Government, by granting financial support in the amount of 300,000 USD dollars and by appointing Tomás do Rosário Cabral to Special representative of the Government, tasked with the mission of identifying obstacles to the organization and conducting of electoral census operations and of free and fair elections.
The Council of Ministers approved a proposal for Decree-Law on the Organic Law of the Ministry of Strategic Planning and Investment, the department responsible for the design, coordination and evaluation of the policy, defined and approved by the Council of Ministers, for the areas of promotion of economic and social development of the country through strategic and integrated planning and rationalization of available financial resources, assuming specific responsibilities on the implementation of the Strategic Development Plan.
Lastly, the Council of ministers gave full powers to the Minister of Transport and Communications, José Agustinho da Silva, to sign Air Service Agreements with the State of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Convention, which aims to establish and operate Air Services between and beyond their territories. ENDS
