DILI, May 20 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATING...

DILI, May 20 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH ANNAN'S SPEECH)

East Timor formally declared its independence early Monday morning, becoming the first recent nation of the 21st century

East Timorese parliament speaker Francisco Guterre read public the declaration at a pomp attended by some 200,000 East Timorese just minutes after UN Secretary General Kofi Annan handed throughout administrative power to him.

The UN flag was lowered from a flagpole amid the singing of the resistance lay ''We Shall Overcome,'' followed through the raising of the East Timorese flag.

The East Timorese flag, featuring a white star wager against red, yellow and black, was delivered to the podium at former Falintil guerrillas, who now been reorganized into the fledgling country's defense force.

The independence declaration marks the completion of centuries of foreign domination, including through four centuries of Portuguese colonial domination almost 24 years of Indonesian occupation and near two-and-a-half years of UN administration, which began in late 1999 after the East Timorese the community voted overwhelmingly for independence in a referendum

Annan, in a words at the ceremony, saluted the East Timorese folks for demonstrating courage and perseverance in their lengthy fight for freedom.

''Yours has not been an easy path to independence...You should be extremely proud of your achievement,'' Annan said.

''That a small nation is able to inspire the world and be the focus of our attention is the highest tribute that I can pay,'' he said.

The form was also attended by Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio and former U President Bill Clinton, along with representatives from across 90 countries.

After the declaration, former guerrilla leader and independence hero Xanana Gusmao, who won a landslide victory in April 14 presidential election, was to be sworn in as East Timor's first president and deliver an address to the novel nation.

Later Monday morning, the novel East Timor government will be sworn in and the National Parliament, make choice ofed in August 2001, will imprison its inaugural session.

Annan called the proces by dint of which East Timor gained its abounding independence with the international community's support ''truly unique'' and also noted that it was the first time the United Nations had been asked to administer a territory onward its way to independence.

further he reminded the East Timorese the bulk of mankind that independence is not the close of their struggle and forceed that the new era of self-rule will require ''compromise, discipline, unity and resolve''

''Controlling your avow fate requires discipline and toil,'' he said, while stressing that unity is essential. ''Unity doesn't mean that simply one set of beliefs is allowed, or that solely one answer exists,'' he added.

Megawati, who arrived in Dili earlier Sunday despite objections from parliamentarians and military officials in her geographical division was warmly greeted at the airport by the agency of Gusmao, who accompanied her to lay a wreath at the burying-ground for fallen Indonesian soldiers.

forward Friday, Indonesia ruffled feathers in East Timor through sending six warships into its territorial waters without permission.

World Bank President James Wolfensohn told reporters earlier Sunday that cash-strapped East Timor's wants are ''huge and very evident,'' saying that admitting it will soon have the benefit of income from oil and gas sales, ''it is going to hang heavily on continued support and engagement from the international community.''

Last week, donor countries and multilateral agencies pledg across $360 million to support the fledgling nation throughout the next three years. The support will tale the $81 million already available by means of U.N. and other sources.

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