PACOM COMMANDER ADMIRAL KEATING MEETS TIMOR-LESTE'S LEADERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DILI 000327 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/25/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MOPS TT SUBJECT: PACOM COMMANDER ADMIRAL KEATING MEETS TIMOR-LESTE'S LEADERS DILI 00000327 001.2 OF 003 CLASSIFIED BY: Hans G. Klemm, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Dili, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary. In his September 19 visit to Timor-Leste, USPACOM Commander Admiral Timothy J. Keating extended an offer to provide training and assistance appropriate to the country's security needs. PACOM, he said, would work with Timor's leaders to identify which programs and forms of training were best suited to the country's limited capacity. He stressed that he realized that this was a long-term undertaking, and that PACOM was indeed committed "for the long haul." He said that PACOM was looking for ways to move beyond bilateral forms of assistance and involve Timor-Leste in programs involving other countries in the region. President Ramos-Horta, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, and Chief of Defense Taur Matan Ruak strongly welcomed this message, emphasizing their commitment to democracy and civilian rule. In discussions with the Admiral, they each emphasized the challenges the security sector faces in the wake of the crisis of April-May 2006. They all noted that while poverty remains Timor-Leste's biggest problem, the country's security needs cannot be ignored. Also, President Ramos-Horta urged PACOM to plan more ship visits to Timor-Leste. End summary. JRH: Democracy Is Basis For Security Sector Reform -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Ambassador hosted a lunch for Admiral Keating attended by Speaker of Parliament Fernando de Araujo ("Lasama"),Foreign Minister Zacarias da Costa, and President Jose Ramos-Horta (JRH). Over lunch, JRH stated that Timor Leste will look to its bilateral partners with shared democratic values for assistance as it reforms its security institutions, not the UN. JRH specifically referred to Australia, NZ, Portugal and the U.S. as sources of support. He expressed hope that this alignment would be conducive to future U.S. engagement with Timor given our bilateral alliance with Australia and multilateral partnership with Portugal in NATO. Timor Leste has no interest in meaningful military associations with other current donors such as China, CUBA or even Malaysia given the undemocratic role the military plays in these countries, said Horta. He underlined the government's intent to wrest leadership from UNMIT in order to nationalize security sector reform, noting the senior policy committee recently established that includes Lasama, the PM and himself. The president strongly encouraged U.S. ship visits and offered the use of Timor facilities for U.S. forces, pointing in particular to the under-utilized airport in Baucau. Acknowledging the challenges of security sector reform, Admiral Keating emphasized PACOM's readiness to assist Timor at the pace and direction determined by its leadership. Prime Minister Gusmao Envisions Lean, Mean Force -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao welcomed Admiral Keating, noting his warm personal relations with President Bush. He then offered an overview of Timor-Leste's security environment. Timor-Leste, he pointed out, has a huge neighbor, Indonesia. While relations with Indonesia have been good since independence, Timor-Leste must not assume that this will always be the case, Xanana Gusmao noted. He said that Timor-Leste needed secure land and maritime borders. Existing problems with smuggling, he said, could escalate into human trafficking and worse. What Timor-Leste needs, the Prime Minister said, is a small but effective defense force. He welcomed international assistance to the security forces, and said that he hoped that Timor-Leste would be in a position to really cooperate with its international partners, i.e., including future participation in international peacekeeping operations. ¶4. (C) Xanana Gusmao said that last year's crisis exposed the continuing weakness of both the police and the armed forces. To remedy this, the Prime Minister had personally assumed the National Security affairs portfolios. Poverty, he stressed, remains Timor-Leste's biggest problem, but its people require security as well. ¶5. (C) Admiral Keating responded that PACOM has great resources that we want to share with countries such as Timor-Leste that share our vision and values. The challenge, he said, is to DILI 00000327 002.2 OF 003 identity programs and assets that are a good fit to Timor-Leste's needs. PACOM also wants to move "beyond the bilateral" by promoting cooperation among our friends in the region, he said. Cooperation between Timor-Leste and the U.S., for example, could involve third countries such as Australia or Japan, or reinforce bilateral initiatives between Timor-Leste and those countries. TMR Outlines F-FDTL Challenges, Stresses Commitment to Democracy -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Admiral Keating called on Timor-Leste's Chief of Defense, BG Taur Matan Ruak (TMR),at the Timor-Leste Armed Forces' (F-FDTL) headquarters at Tasi Tolu. TMR welcomed Admiral Keating, noting he was the first PACOM Commander to visit F-FDTL headquarters. TMR, flanked by Colonel Lere Anan Timur (Chief of Staff) and Lieutenant Colonel Mau Nana (Chief of Cabinet), described F-FDTL's roots as FALINTIL, a guerilla resistance force. In 1987, then-commander Xanana Gusmao had de-linked FALINTIL from the FRETILIN party, and made it non-partisan. Veterans of this struggle, however, still dominate the F-FDTL's leadership, and transition to a new generation is a major challenge, and one which was complicated by last year's crisis. TMR emphasized that poverty is Timor-Leste's biggest problem, and affects all its institutions including the military. F-FDTL soldiers must struggle for their livelihood, and this affects their performance and outlook. ¶7. (C) In response to a question from Admiral Keating, TMR stressed that the military dissidents from last year's crisis would not be readmitted to the defense force. He argued that this would set a bad precedent, and pointed out that their crimes had endangered the lives of women and children, including his own wife and children. Moreover, the renegade Major Reinado had attacked an F-FDTL unit on May 23. Admiral Keating asked whether Reinado and the others would face prosecution. TMR did not answer directly, saying that the F-FDTL had faced defections and leadership crises even during the independence struggle, and it would survive. ¶8. (C) Asked about cooperation between the military and the police, TMR said that this remains problematic because of the different factions in each institution. While the F-FDTL is led by veterans of the independence movement, the PNTL is largely headed by veterans of the police from the time it was part of the Indonesian military. Moreover, the PNTL is unstable because it also contains factions of independence fighters and new recruits. The police leaders from the Indonesian era had regarded former guerillas as enemies, and the new recruits had no sense of hierarchy. TMR pointed out that the weakness of the PNTL had been exposed during the crisis, when it completely collapsed. TMR said that the UN had completely failed to develop the police - because its advisors were drawn from so many different countries, and as result it failed to provide a coherent mentoring style. ¶9. (C) TMR stressed his commitment to democracy, and spoke at length about the need for the Timorese people to have a stake in development. He recalled that during last year's crisis, he was urged by some to take over the government, but he refused, saying that he had not fought against one dictatorship only to impose a new one. He said that the case of Fiji proves he did the right thing. He stressed that the three or four F-FDTL officers he was grooming to assume the force's leadership must prove their commitment to democracy. Admiral Keating commended TMR's attitude and said he would pass this message to the U.S.'s civilian leaders. ¶10. (C) TMR thanked Admiral Keating for the past generosity of the US in providing advisors and logistics. He said that he shared America's values and principles, and would welcome PACOM support. Admiral Keating said that PACOM can offer assistance and training in many areas, ranging from English language to medical care, and that he would work with TMR to find the right fit. Admiral Keating stressed that PACOM had a long-term commitment to helping Timor-Leste. He extended an invitation for TMR to visit both PACOM headquarters in Honolulu and other U.S. military facilities in the U.S. ISF, UNPOL Describe Improving Security Environment -------------- -------------- DILI 00000327 003.2 OF 003 ¶11. (SBU) Admiral Keating received briefings from Australian Army Brigadier General John Hutcheson, Commander of the International Stabilization Force (ISF),and Commissioner Rodolfo Tor, head of the United Nations Police Mission (UNPOL) component of the UN Mission in Timor-Leste. ISF's intelligence brief provided an overview of political and security developments, emphasizing the period since the crisis of April-May of last year. The ISF briefers also provided current assessments of various security stakeholders and sources of instability in Timor-Leste. He noted that despite UN efforts, the PNTL remains inadequately trained, and could easily collapse again in the event of another security crisis. Looking forward to the remainder of its mission, the ISF hopes to reduce its presence on the street, enabling Timor-Leste's own security forces to assume responsibility for the country's security as their capacity increases. BG Hutcheson said that the ISF's goal is to return Timor-Leste to a state of normalcy, although it is a challenge to determine what level of crime and other potentially destabilizing factors is accepted as "normal" in the Timorese context. In response to Admiral Keating's query, BG Hutcheson said that the ISF has contingency plans to evacuate 4,500 - 5,000 internationals in the event of a collapse in the security environment in Timor Leste. ¶12. (SBU) In his presentation on UNPOL, Commissioner Tor provided a detailed overview of developments in the security environment, pointing out recent spikes in violent incidents following the formation of the new government last August and in the early months of this year when the ISF was in hot pursuit of military renegade Maj. Reinado. He outlined the deployment of foreign police throughout Timor-Leste, particularly in support of the Rapid Response Units and personnel deployed on border areas. He stressed also the joint Formed Police Units, consisting of Timorese police working with police from Malaysia, Portugal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. ¶13. (U) Admiral Keating has reviewed this message. KLEMM