Dili – East Timor's political parties have agreed to sign a non-violence pact to avoid bloodshed before and after historic elections next month, the United Nations said yesterday.

East Timor will vote on August 30 for a new 88-member governing body that will help draft a constitution and steer the nascent nation to full independence sometime next year.

Fears of fighting among supporters of rival political parties have triggered calls for the ballot to be postponed.

The UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, told the Security Council in New York recently that the UN peacekeeping force and civilian police were gearing up for an increase in politically motivated violence before the elections. There were widespread fears among the population that the ballot would lead to unrest.

The UN said that after long talks between the 16 political parties planning to contest the elections all had agreed to sign a pact of national unity. The agreement calls for peaceful elections and the unconditional acceptance of the results of the election.

East Timor's UN administrator, Mr Sergio Vieira de Mello, said the deal was "an essential part of out strategy to guarantee security during the electoral campaign".