"A great country - I'm going there in November," the president told the Timorese who snapped them both together.

A trip to Timor would be de Sousa's first to an Asian country since he took office a year ago

The president spent about an hour strolling near the presidential palace in Belém, in Lisbon, in the company of two vendors of the magazine CAIS, proceeds from the sale of which go to support the homeless.

East Timor on 28 November marks the 43rd anniversary of its unilateral declaration of independence from Portugal, which was swiftly followed by an invasion by Indonesia, which occupied the territory for a quarter of a century.

Independence was restored on 20 May 2002, and recognised by the international community.

On 12 November, the Timorese will also mark the 26th anniversary of the massacre in the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili, in which more than 200 people died. The incident - which was widely publicised thanks to video taken by a foreign journalist - gave a boost to the long struggle for independence.