East Timor's Constituent Assembly passed a motion today to extend its deliberations on the draft Constitution beyond the current 25 January deadline.

A proposal was made to extend the deadline to 28 February, but the motion passed did not specify a date. Instead, the new deadline will be debated by a working commission.

Seventy-four Assembly members voted in favour of the motion, five opposed the motion and three abstained. The Assembly has now passed 129 articles of the 151-article draft Constitution. The articles passed since Tuesday afternoon include:

Article 124, which creates an office of public prosecutors and defenders (Ministerio Publico), which will be accountable to the Attorney-General and must perform its duties objectively and impartially.

Article 125 creates the Office of the Attorney-General, the highest authority in public prosecution. The Attorney-General will be appointed by and accountable to the President of the Republic, and he or she will submit annual reports to Parliament. The Attorney-General will also request the Supreme Court of Justice to rule on any law deemed unconstitutional in three lower court cases.

Article 126 creates the Attorney General's Superior Council, a consultative body of the Attorney-General. It will comprise five members; one appointed by the President, one by the Government, two elected by the magistrates of the Public Prosecution from among their peers, and one elected by Parliament.

Article 127 calls for lawyers to dispense legal and judicial aid to society. It urges lawyers to contribute to the proper administration of justice and to safeguard citizens' rights and legitimate interests. The activities of lawyers will be framed by law.

Article 128 guarantees the privacy of legal documents and stipulates that confidentiality must be guaranteed between lawyers and their clients, especially when clients are under detention or arrest in civil or military prisons.

Article 129 insists on a separation of powers between the offices of the President of the Republic; Speaker of the National Parliament; President of the Supreme Court of Justice; Prime Minister; the President of the High Administrative, Tax and Audit Court; Attorney-General, ministers, deputy ministers, provincial governors and secretaries of state. A new section (129a) says the public administration shall pursue the public interest.

Members also began debating the section of the Constitution that deals with the government's economic and financial organization. Article 130 says the country's economy will be a free market economy including public-sector, private-sector and cooperative ownership of the means of production.

All six articles were passed with significant majorities.