Dili – A government official from East Timor province is convinced that East Timor is open to foreign journalists who attempt to cover the area, a member of local House Representative, Florentino, said here Thursday.

"Indonesia would not conceal what has happened in the 27th province of Indonesia," he said in response to a comment by the Vice Chairman of Committee I in the House Representatives, B.N. Marbun, that the government should open East Timor to foreign journalists.

Florentino said foreign journalists can cover whatever news, whenever they want, as long as they do not make an issue of East Timor's integration into Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Center for Studies on East Timor Development, Domingos M.D. Soares, said openess in East Timor would demonstrate Indonesia's goodwill, giving the international community an opportunity to observe conditions in East Timor fairly and transparently. "In this global era, transparent news coverage on East Timor is one thing the international community requests," Soares said.

"Opening news coverage in East Timor, hopefully could accelerate an East Timor solution in international forum.