East Timor's religious leader has said that the Timorese people are "disenchanted" after three months of independence.

Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo was cited by a Chilean newspaper Monday as saying that the Timorese, "are now suffering disenchantment and disillusion, as they thought that with independence, they would obtain all".

"Schools don't work, there is no material or teachers. At the level of transport and communications, everything lacks", lamented the Catholic prelate in the newspaper article.

The Bishop of Dili, a 1996 Nobel Peace laureate, called for "the effort and work of each person" in Timor. Belo is due to meet Chilean President Ricardo Lagos Monday.