September 12, 2002
President Bush will welcome to the White House President Xanana Gusmao of East Timor on October 2. East Timor will join the United Nations as the first new nation of the 21st century on September 27. The meeting will celebrate this milestone and reaffirm the United States' strong support for an independent, stable, and prosperous East Timor.
George W. Bush, Statement by the Press Secretary: Visit by President Gusmao of East Timor Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/280085