Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06DILI262
2006-05-25 07:27:00
SECRET
Embassy Dili
Cable title:  

EAST TIMOR REQUESTS FOREIGN MILITARY INTERVENTION; PRIME

Tags:  PGOV PHUM ASEC MARR TT 
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0443
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RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 1894
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000262 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MTS
NSC FOR HOLLY MORROW
PACOM FOR JOC, POLAD, J5

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/24/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ASEC MARR TT
SUBJECT: EAST TIMOR REQUESTS FOREIGN MILITARY INTERVENTION; PRIME
MINISTER MAY RESIGN

REF: (A) DILI 189; (B) DILI 203; (C) DILI 213; (D) DILI 219; (E) DILI 220; (F)
DILI 226; (G) STATE 75819; (H) DILI 229

DILI 00000262 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Grover Joseph Rees, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy
Dili, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



Classified by Ambassador Grover Joseph Rees for reasons 1(b) &
(d).

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000262

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MTS
NSC FOR HOLLY MORROW
PACOM FOR JOC, POLAD, J5

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/24/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ASEC MARR TT
SUBJECT: EAST TIMOR REQUESTS FOREIGN MILITARY INTERVENTION; PRIME
MINISTER MAY RESIGN

REF: (A) DILI 189; (B) DILI 203; (C) DILI 213; (D) DILI 219; (E) DILI 220; (F)
DILI 226; (G) STATE 75819; (H) DILI 229

DILI 00000262 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Grover Joseph Rees, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy
Dili, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



Classified by Ambassador Grover Joseph Rees for reasons 1(b) &
(d).


1. (S) Summary: East Timor's four top government leaders today
announced that the government would request military
intervention from Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, and Malaysia
to restore order and to end what President Xanana Gusmao called
"this climate of panic." Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta made
clear that the Government of East Timor (GOET) hoped that
Australia would have military forces on the ground in Timor
within the next 24 hours to prevent further deterioration of the
security situation, with other nations perhaps responding to the
request later. In a smaller meeting just after the public
announcement, Ramos-Horta said it is "highly likely" that Prime
Minister Alkatiri will offer his resignation within the next few
days as another essential component in restoring peace and
stability, and that if Alkatiri does not resign the President
will convene the Council of State in order to invoke the
constitutional procedure for the dismissal of the Prime
Minister. Ramos-Horta indicated that he himself would likely
then be asked to serve as interim Prime Minister pending the
next Parliamentary elections, and that he would request the
United Nations to conduct these elections. End Summary.


2. (U) In a meeting this afternoon attended by most GOET Cabinet
members, heads of foreign diplomatic missions in Dili, and
representatives of the Catholic Church, President Xanana Gusmao
announced that he and other top GOET leaders were requesting
foreign intervention to restore order in East Timor and to end
what he called "this climate of panic." The President announced
that a joint letter signed by himself, Prime Minister Alkatiri,

President of Parliament Francisco Lu'Olo Guterres, and Foreign
Minister Ramos-Horta would be sent to the government of
Australia this afternoon, and that similar requests would be
made to the governments of Portugal, New Zealand, and Malaysia.
Gusmao said the letter would request that Australia provide "a
robust police presence backed by a military force." Foreign
Minister Ramos-Horta then explained that there was widespread
support among the Timorese public for the proposed intervention,
and that the mere presence of the requested forces would have a
deterrent effect that could well make combat engagements
unnecessary, since "there is no faction in Timor that is
interested in fighting with international forces." Prime
Minister Alkatiri and President of Parliament Lu'Olo, who had
reportedly resisted the request for Australian intervention, sat
beside the President and the Foreign Minister but did not speak.
Ramos-Horta made clear that the security situation was
deteriorating rapidly, with pitched gun battles between members
of the armed forces (FDTL) and dissident FDTL members supported
by elements in the national police (PNTL). He said GOET hoped
the requested Australian forces could be on the ground in Timor
"within 24 hours" in order to prevent further fighting.


3. (S) Ramos-Horta then asked Ambassador Rees and Deputy Special
Representative of the UN Secretary General (DSRSG) Anis Bajwa to
remain for a smaller meeting. This meeting was also attended by
President Gusmao's Chief of Staff, Agio Pereira, and by the
Ambassador of New Zealand. Ramos-Horta explained that foreign
military intervention is only one of the steps necessary to
restore peace and stability in East Timor. He said the other
key step is the resignation of Prime Minister Alkatiri.
According to Ramos-Horta, in his own recent travels around the
country he has enocountered a broad popular consensus that
Alkatiri's removal is essential to restoring public confidence
in Government. See Ref H. Ramos-Horta also said that Bishop
Alberto Ricardo Da Silva of Dili, whom the Government had asked

DILI 00000262 002.2 OF 002


to tour troubled districts in the western part of East Timor in
an effort to restore calm, had reported a similar consensus.
(Note: Bishop Ricardo, who rarely attends government functions,
was present at today's announcement of the request for foreign
intervention.) Ramos-Horta said President Gusmao is
"particularly insistent" that Alkatiri must resign or be
removed, that the matter has been discussed with Alkatiri, and
that it is "highly likely" he will resign within the next few
days. Ramos-Horta said he expected that he himself would then be
asked to serve as Prime Minister, which he would agree to do on
an interim basis until the next election. He said he would
retain all but a few of the current Cabinet members and that he
would ask the United Nations to "conduct" --- rather than just
to assist and monitor --- the elections in order to ensure that
they were administered capably and fairly.


4. (S) Ramos-Horta said that if Alkatiri does not resign, the
President will convene the Council of State in order to invoke
the provision of Article 112 of the Constitution for the removal
of the Prime Minister "when necessary to ensure the regular
functioning of the democratic institutions." See Refs F & H.
He said the President would also consider dissolving Parliament
so as to bring about an election sooner rather than later, but
he acknowledged that the constitutional provisions on dissolving
Parliament are more restrictive than the provision allowing the
President to dismiss the Prime Minister.


5. (S) Embassy Dili has learned that the Government of Australia
(GOA) has received the formal written GOET request and that
negotiations are underway and could proceed very quickly.


6. (S) Comment: The inclusion of Portugal and Malaysia in the
list of countries whose assistance would be requested was
apparently to satisfy the Prime Minister, who would have
preferred an all-Portuguese or an all-Malaysian force to one
containing any Australians at all. The particular Portuguese
and Malaysian paramilitary police units that will be the subject
of these invitations have both served in East Timor before, and
both had a reputation for training Timorese police to use
excessive levels of force. The Prime Minister had also
submitted a draft letter that required the Australian forces to
operate "in co-ordination with the Prime Minister's office."
Ramos-Horta insisted on changing this to "in co-ordination with
the President and the Prime Minister."


7. (S) Comment continued: One possible sticking point in the
impending GOET-GOA negotiations is that the elements in FDTL
that have been most prominent in the recent military operations
--- and who are generally regarded by Timorese as one of several
warring armed groups rather than as protectors of peace and
stability --- might be unwilling to retire to their barracks and
leave the field to the Australian forces. Ramos-Horta privately
acknowledged today that this is a "sensitive issue" and
suggested that perhaps FDTL could retain responsibility for
security in the three eastern districts, which have not
experienced serious security problems, while leaving Dili and
the troubled western districts to the Australians.


8. (S) Comment continued: Although Embassy Dili's Timorese
sources overwhelmingly agree with Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta's
assessment that Alkatiri's resignation or removal would be a big
step toward restoring public confidence in the Government, his
assessment that Alkatiri is "highly likely" to resign soon may
underestimate the Prime Minister's tenacity. Indeed, whatever
pressure Alkatiri may now feel to resign would presumably be
substantailly reduced if the presence of Australian forces
succeeds in quickly restoring peace and stability. End Comment.



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