RELEASE OF UN COMMISSION OF INQUIRY REPORT ON TIMOR CRISIS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000518 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS,IO PACOM FOR POLAD AND JOC NSC FOR HOLLY MORROW SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV KJUS KPKO ASEC UN TT SUBJECT: RELEASE OF UN COMMISSION OF INQUIRY REPORT ON TIMOR CRISIS REF: Dili 487 DILI 00000518 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. Summary: The Report of the United Nations Independent Special Commission of Inquiry for Timor-Leste was released today to the National Parliament of East Timor and to the public. The UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) will now commence with an effort to distribute it widely throughout the country. The release was followed by a joint appearance by the President, Prime Minister, and President of Parliament, commending the work of the Commission and urging the Timorese public and institutions to now seriously consider the findings and recommendations. There has so far been no notable change in Dili's security environment, but we will continue to closely monitor the situation over the coming days. The key findings of the report are consistent with the information we received in advance. Although not directly recommended for prosecution, former Prime Minister Alkatiri is described as holding the greatest political responsibility for the crisis and the report finds that there is sufficient evidence to merit further investigation of his possible role in unlawful arms distributions. High profile individuals recommended for criminal prosecution include: former Minister of Interior Rogerio Lobato, dissident armed forces Major Alfredo Reinado, former Minister of Defence Roque Rodrigues and the Chief of Defence Force Taur Matan Ruak. End summary. ¶2. The Report of the United Nations Independent Special Commission of Inquiry for Timor-Leste was officially issued to the National Parliament today at 4:00pm Dili time. The Commission was established in response to a request by the Government of East Timor to conduct a fact-finding mission on the events of April 28-29 and May 23-25, and to establish responsibility for the events and recommend accountability measures. Acting Special Representative for the Secretary General (SRSG) Finn Reske-Nielsen delivered the Report to President of Parliament, Francisco "Lu'olo" Guterres. Hard copies of the Tetum translation were delivered to all Members of Parliament. No other hard copies were immediately available to the public, but according to sources in UNMIT, a campaign will now commence to distribute the report widely, including to all the districts, channeling it through churches, political parties, and NGOs as well as local government offices . The report has also been posted on line in its original English as well as the three languages into which it was translated: Tetum, Portuguese and Indonesian. However, very few Timorese have internet access. ¶3. Following the release in Parliament, President Xanana Gusmao, President of Parliament Lu'olo and Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta made a joint appearance to deliver a national message on the Report. Speaking on behalf of all three, Gusmao commended the writers of the report for their impartiality and good analysis and encouraged all branches of government to immediately review the recommendations relevant to them, noting that the responsibility to respond to the Report now lay in Timorese hands. He also called on all groups involved in violence to immediately end such activities. This is only the second time that these three have appeared together since the crisis began. The first time, last week, was also to deliver a national message in advance of the Report's release. It is hoped that these appearances will discourage divisiveness in response to the report. No change in security environment so far -------------- ¶4. Timorese residents of Dili have been increasingly nervous this past week about the issuance of the report. Many have been afraid that the release will initiate a round of increased violence and there has been a renewed trend of people leaving Dili to return to the districts. The ambiguity that surrounded the timing of the report release also fed an increasingly active rumor mill as people began conjecturing that the delay was caused by manipulation to change the contents of the report. The release of the report has, however, not produced an immediate change in the security environment as of this writing. So far, Timorese we have spoken to who have had a chance to review the Report have responded positively, noting that it DILI 00000518 002.2 OF 002 seems to be an impartial document. However, Emboffs observed that many shops closed down early this afternoon, and many people opted to leave work early. The American citizen community, who were yesterday invited for a security briefing at the Embassy in preparation for the Report, were informed this afternoon of the release and advised to refer to the most recent warden message for current security advice. We will continue to monitor the situation in the coming days. Key findings of the Report -------------- ¶5. The content of the report appears to largely conform with the information we received earlier from a Commission source (see reftel). The key findings of the Report were provided in a press release from the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva and are excerpted below: a) Regarding the events of April 28-29: -- That the Government failed to follow the requisite legislative procedures in calling out the F-FDTL on 28 April 2006, a matter for which those members of the Crisis Cabinet who made the decision, and in particular the former Prime Minister bears responsibility. -- That there was no massacre by the F-FDTL of 60 people at Taci Tolu on 28-29 April. b) Regarding the events of May 23: -- That the evidence establishes that Major Reinado and the men who comprised his group are reasonably suspected of having committed crimes against life and the person during the armed confrontation in Fatu Ahi. -- That although the President should have shown more restraint and respect for institutional channels in communicating directly with Major Reinado after his desertion, the President did not order or authorize the armed group of men under the command of Major Reinado to carry out criminal actions. c) Regarding the events of May 25: -- That the Chief of Defence Force Taur Matan Ruak cannot be held criminally responsible for the shooting of the unarmed PNTL officers by F-FDTL soldiers after the ceasefire had been established on 25 May, although he failed to exhaust all avenues to either prevent or stop the confrontation between the F-FDTL and PNTL. d) Regarding weapons distribution: -- That both PNTL and F-FDTL weapons were distributed to civilians. -- That there was an absence of systematic control over weapons and ammunition within the security sector, particularly within the PNTL. The Commission finds that the Minister of Interior Rogerio Lobato and the General Commander Paulo Martins bypassed institutional procedures by transferring irregularly weapons within the institution. -- That in arming civilians, the Minister of Interior Rogerio Lobato, the Minister of Defence Roque Rodrigues and the Chief of Defence Force Taur Matan Ruak acted without lawful authority and created a situation of significant potential danger. They should be held accountable for illegal transfer of weapons. e) Regarding former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri: -- That he failed to use his firm authority to denounce the transfer of security sector weapons to civilians in the face of credible information that such transfer was ongoing and involved members of the Government.> -- That there is no evidence before the Commission which could lead to a recommendation that the former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri be prosecuted for being personally involved in the illegal movement, possession or use of weapons. Nevertheless, there is information before the Commission giving rise to a suspicion that he knew about the illegal arming of civilians with PNTL weapons by Rogerio Lobato. Accordingly, the Commission has recommended further investigation to determine whether the former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri bears any criminal responsibility with respect to weapons offences. GRAY