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Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this resolution. I will be honoured to pass on your request to the Security Council, which I am sure will recommend it unanimously to the General Assembly. Membership of the United Nations is open to any country that accepts the obligations specified in the organization's Charter and supports its mission. Having seen the extraordinary support you received from so many nations around the world at last night's festivities, I do not anticipate any obstacle to your membership.

Apart from the member states you have many other friends who have worked with you, who are here with you today, from Sergio Vieira de Mello, Jamsheed Marker, Vendrell, Martin and Tamrat...all these people look forward to working with you when you join.

Today, the membership of the United Nations stands at 189 nations, large and small, rich and poor. On the floor of the General Assembly of the United Nations they are all equal. Indeed, I have long believed that distinction and greatness in the family of nations is not a question of size or power. It is rather a question of good global citizenship and the contribution each nation can make to the future of our planet.

You will join an Organization where nations strive to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations based on respect for equal rights and self-determination of peoples; to promote the economic, social and cultural achievement of peoples; and to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. I look forward to the day later this year when East Timor will be formally admitted as a member of the United Nations.

Thank you very much.