DAS JOHN MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER ALKATIRI

UNCLAS E F T O SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000210

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, IO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ASEC MARR PREL KJUS KCRM KAWC ID TT
SUBJECT: DAS JOHN MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER ALKATIRI

REF: A) DILI 203 B) DILI 194

DILI 00000210 001.2 OF 002



1. (SBU) Summary: EAP Deputy Assistant Secretary Eric John,
along with Ambassador Rees and Emboff, met with Prime Minister
Mari Alkatiri on May 3. DAS John congratulated Alkatiri on the
many things that the Government of East Timor (GOET) is getting
right, such as their work with the Millennium Challenge Account,
the petroleum fund, and continued democratic development, but he
stressed the importance of a level playing field for the 2007
elections and expressed the hope that current security
challenges would soon be resolved. Referring to his decision to
call in the armed forces (F-FDTL) to quell riots that broke out
on April 28, Alkatiri stated that the situation had gotten out
of control and that therefore he had no other option. He
described the current situation as stabilized and said that
soldiers still deployed around Dili would be sent back to their
barracks within 24 hours. He also acknowledged the need to have
a full and transparent accounting of what happened during the
response to the riots, especially the need to address the rumors
of up to 60 additional unreported deaths. DAS John also raised
the issue of accountability for crimes committed in 1999.
Alkatiri registered no objection to the U.S. position that the
investigative unit of the Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) be
re-established or to the need for a one-year extension for the
Truth and Friendship Commission (TFC) to complete its work. End
summary.


2. (U) During a meeting on May 3 with Prime Minister Alkatiri,
DAS John began by congratulating the Prime Minister on the many
things East Timor has gotten right: a fiscally responsible and
transparent trust fund for petroleum revenues, selection as a
Millennium Challenge Account eligible country, and a democratic
system that the United States hopes will be a model for other
countries in the region and the world.


3. (U) Turning to areas of concern, DAS John noted that East
Timor's first post-independence national elections will take
place in 2007 and indicated that the United States wants to
provide technical support and to help ensure that the elections
will be universally recognized as free and fair. In response,
the Prime Minister noted that the election cycle will soon begin
with the party congress of the ruling Fretilin Party, scheduled
for the end of May. He predicted that the Fretilin Congress
will help to stabilize the nation. (Note: Fretilin leaders
often equate stability and harmony within the party with
stability and harmony within the nation.) The Prime Minister
added that the Government would send a draft election law to
Parliament later that same day. He said he hopes there will be
hundreds of international observers at the election, and noted
that the Government is working with the United Nations on
international assistance for the elections, although the details
have not been fixed. He agreed that the objective must be fair
elections in which everyone has confidence. DAS John noted that
a transparent election inspires confidence in all other aspects
of the country's governance, and Alkatiri responded that
"elections are just the starting point. Ultimately the
government's legitimacy is in how it governs." He expressed the
hope that governmental responsibilities could devolve over the
next few years to local governments, but said that capacity
building would be necessary before local government officials
were ready for this responsibility.


4. (SBU) Turning to the recent civil disturbances and ongoing
security situation, Prime Minister Alkatiri stated that he had
had no option but to call in the F-FDTL to assist in quelling
the riots that broke out on Friday afternoon (April 28). He
stated that he had initially called in the Military Police to
respond to the rioting at the Government compound "to save the
building - otherwise it would have been burned down." He
described the situation as then having worsened, particularly in
the Tasitolu area, causing him to then call in regular F-FDTL
personnel --- that is, combat troops rather than military
police --- to control the situation and to get the rioters out
of the area. DAS John noted the need to ensure clear roles for
the respective security institutions, to which Alkatiri
responded that the roles are already clear, but more training is
needed to ensure the capacity of each to carry out their roles.


5. (SBU) Regarding how the riots got started and who was behind
them, Alkatiri noted that elements of Colimau 2000 (see Ref B)

DILI 00000210 002.2 OF 002


were definitely involved. He said that as early as Tuesday,
April 25, the non-petitioner demonstrators began splitting up
into smaller groups that caused problems in various parts of
Dili, leaving many fewer people at the main demonstration site.
He stated that the plans for violence were made in advance and
known to the petitioners, but that they had erroneously believed
they could maintain control of the demonstration and keep it
peaceful. Alkatiri reported telling the leader of the
petitioners, Lieutenant Salsinha, "you have already lost
control" during their meeting on Thursday, April 27, the day
before the riot.


6. (SBU) Alkatiri expressed confidence that the current
situation is stable, but observed that the challenge now is to
fight rumors. This is much more difficult, he stated, as people
are now scared and already prone to worry based on previous
experiences of trauma. Immediately prior to the meeting with
DAS John, Alkatiri had met with General Taur Matan Ruak. The
Prime Minister said that they had agreed that all soldiers would
withdraw from their current posts around the city perimeter and
return to their barracks within 24 hours. In an indirect
reference to his unhappiness with police handling of the riots,
he said that he hoped the police would be able to maintain
security.


7. (SBU) The Ambassador mentioned continuing reports that small
squads of F-FDTL were going to the houses of petitioners and/or
people suspected of having connections with them, seeking to
arrest these people and/or harassing and intimidating their
family members. The Prime Minister responded that General Matan
Ruak had assured him that F-FDTL are no longer conducting
operations of any kind in Dili. Rather, they are in fixed
positions around the perimeter of the city and will soon be
removed even from these positions.


8. (SBU) The Ambassador congratulated the Prime Minister on the
Government's announcement on May 2 of a commission to
investigate deaths and injuries that had occurred over the
weekend. He noted that Arsenio Bano, the Minister of Labor who
will co-chair the commission, will have credibility among
Timorese and internationals. The Ambassador also commended the
Prime Minister for the commission's reported decision to accept
the assistance of human rights experts from the United Nations
Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) and stressed the importance of a
credible investigation. The Prime Minister also noted that the
Provedor (Ombudsman) is also doing a parallel investigation, and
agreed that "the people must know the truth." Alkatiri said he
still believes that the maximum number of dead will not exceed 6
or 7 people.


9. (U) DAS John also congratulated the Prime Minister on East
Timor's good relations with its neighbors, Australia and
Indonesia. He noted that good relations with Indonesia are
important to the United States and that he knows a good
bilateral relationship with Indonesia is also extremely
important to East Timor. Noting that the impressive progress
toward reform in the Indonesian government, including the
military, must include accountability for serious crimes
committed in the past, he stated that the United States would
like to revive the investigate unit of the SCU to complete the
remaining investigations into serious crimes committed in East
Timor in 1999, and also to extend the mandate of the TFC by one
year. DAS John noted that it was important for the SCU to
complete its investigations in part because this would enable
the TFC to make a complete assessment of all the serious crimes
within its mandate. Prime Minister Alkatiri stated that East
Timor had no objection to this plan and would welcome the
completion of the investigative record, but that the challenge
will be to get acceptance by the Government of Indonesia. He
noted that East Timor is not in a position to pressure the
Government of Indonesia on this count and must depend on other
nations to be the primary interlocutors on these issues. DAS
John added that the United States wants the TFC to name the
names of perpetrators and to have international participation in
its processes. He added that the United States will keep
pushing for a credible outcome, but that it is important to know
that GOET is in agreement.


10. (U) DAS John did not have an opportunity to clear this cable.
REES