Dili – The UN peacekeeping force (PKF) in East Timor and Indonesia's military have signed an agreement on sharing information and coordinating military activity along the border between the UN-administered territory and Indonesian-ruled West Timor, a PKF spokesman said Friday.

Captain Jeff Squire told reporters Friday the "military technical agreement" was signed August 28 in Denpasar, on the Indonesian island of Bali, between the commanders of the two sides. "The new document will improve practical understanding between the PKF and TNI [the Indonesian Defense Force] on information sharing and the coordination of military activity in the vicinity of the tactical coordination line,' Squire said.

The agreement provides clearer process for investigating incidents that sporadically occur in the vicinity of the border between the PKF and Indonesian troops, some of which have resulted casualties. The latest incident happened in late July, when PKF soldiers shot to death an Indonesian soldier who was not wearing a uniform, mistaking him for a militiaman seeking to enter into East Timor to oppose East Timor's independence.