Paul Osborne Brisbane – The problems of East Timorese refugees in West Timor and the disarmament of militia should be resolved within three months, the emerging nation's foreign minister Jose Ramos Horta said today.

Dr Ramos Horta, who visited Brisbane today for a financial planners' conference, said Indonesia and Australia had important roles to play in the lead-up to the handover of sovereignty to East Timor on May 20 next year.

"I believe in the next three months the problem of refugees in West Timor will be completely resolved and the problem of the militias will be completely resolved," Dr Ramos Horta told AAP.

"The Indonesian government has made genuine efforts in supporting the repatriation of refugees and genuine efforts in disarming the militias and dismantling their operation in East Timor." Dr Ramos Horta said the militias knew they were a "spent force" and a number had agreed to face court for crimes committed in 1999.

The 52-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner said one of the keys to a secure East Timor would be setting up a trilateral dialogue between the foreign ministers of Australia, Indonesia and East Timor. "I hope to meet with Alexander Downer in Adelaide next week after his return from Jakarta [to meet with the Indonesian foreign minister], to follow up on his discussions on the idea of a trilateral dialogue," Dr Ramos Horta said.

He said the agenda for such a meeting should include cooperation on maritime surveillance to avoid illegal migration, piracy issues, and maritime boundaries.

The re-election of the Howard government would ensure continuing good relations between Australia and East Timor, Dr Ramos Horta said. "The Howard government has been very supportive of the reconstruction and development efforts in East Timor and has pledged to continue support on the security front to ensure the defence of East Timor," he said. "We know that if the election had turned out differently with a Labor victory, Labor would also continue the policies."

He said he was particularly happy Alexander Downer had been reappointed Australian foreign minister, as they had a personal rapport. "I have in him a real friend of East Timor," Dr Ramos Horta said.

He said he expected the new East Timor constitution would be voted on in January, with presidential elections in April followed by a major celebration of the country's sovereignty handover on May 20. "There will be a feeling of absolute joy," he said of the celebrations.