Dili – President Xanana Gusmco told lawmakers in East Timor Monday to make fuller use of their constitutional rights to challenge in parliament the actions of the Dili government.

Speaking at the official opening of parliament, Gusmco said he hoped Timor's MPs would be even more "productive and efficient" during the new session.

Referring to a recent report on the legislature's activities by parliamentary speaker Francisco Guterres, the Timorese leader lamented the lack of "guidance procedures in political oversight" stipulated for MPs under the Constitution.

Separately, China's ambassador to Dili says that Beijing will soon begin building a headquarters for Timor's foreign ministry and a new presidential palace in the capital.

In an interview with a Portuguese-language newspaper in Macau, Chen Duqing said the Chinese-funded projects are being studied by the Dili authorities before final approval.

Chinese cooperation will also construct 100 homes for former Timorese resistance fighters, said Beijing's envoy in Dili.