Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare will depart for East Timor today as part of a two-day visit to meet Australian troops serving with the International Stabilisation Force.
Mr Clare will be accompanied by the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General David Morrison and will return to Australia on Wednesday, October 26.
While in East Timor Mr Clare will meet with representatives from the East Timorese Government and the United Nations, including:
- East Timor’s Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Julio Tomas Pinto;
- the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ameerah Haq;
- Chief of the East Timor Defence Force, Major General Lere Anan Timur; and
- Director-General of East Timor’s Secretariat of Defence, Mr João Corte-Real.
Mr Clare will be briefed by the Commanding Officer of the Australian-led International Stabilisation Force Colonel Luke Foster and will also visit Forward Operating Bases and meet with both Australian and New Zealand troops.
The Minister will be also briefed on the current security environment, and planning for East Timor’s 2012 national elections.
He will also meet with members of Australia’s Defence Cooperation Program team and be briefed on the progress of their efforts.