TIMOR-LESTE PRESIDENT RAMOS-HORTA MEETING WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 139172

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO TT
SUBJECT: TIMOR-LESTE PRESIDENT RAMOS-HORTA MEETING WITH
A/S HILL IN NEW YORK, SEP. 23, 2007


Classified By: EAP A/S Christopher R. Hill, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Describing the situation in Timor-Leste as
stabilized, President Ramos-Horta praised the international
forces for their role in the success of presidential and
parliamentary elections. The Government of Timor-Leste
(GOTL) is now tackling its most urgent policy challenges,
particularly police reform, internally displaced persons
(IDPs),the "petitioners," and military fugitive Major
Alfredo Reinado. Ramos-Horta requested U.S. support to
expand opportunities for Timorese to study abroad,
particularly in the Philippines and Indonesia. Reaffirming
U.S. support for Timor-Leste's continued development, A/S
Hill agreed to consider additional educational assistance.
Hill also urged Timor-Leste to support a UNGA resolution on
human rights violations in Iran. End Summary.

POLITICAL SITUATION


2. (C) In a September 23 meeting on the Margins of UNGA,
President Ramos-Horta reported that the political and
security situation in Timor-Leste had stabilized but remained
precarious. He defended his decision to ask Xanana Gusmao
and the alliance parties to form a new government in August.
Political dialogue at all levels following the June 30
parliamentary elections convinced him that the FRETILIN Party
could not gain enough outside support to command a majority
in the Parliament, despite winning the most votes.
FRETILIN's failure to challenge him in court confirms that it
recognized the constitutionality of his decision, he said.

PUBLIC SECURITY


3. (C) Ramos-Horta praised the international forces for
maintaining public security during and after elections. The
Australian-led International Stabilization Force and the
Portuguese National Guard in particular have done "an
oustanding job." He lamented that the UN Police are "a mixed
bag," the inevitable result of a combined force of over 30
nationalities. The violence that flared up in August has
dissipated and the day-to-day security situation is back to
normal, he said. Underscoring the institutional weakness of
the Timorese National Police (PNTL),the President cautioned
that it will take time for the PNTL to function effectively.
By contrast, he credited the "strong leadership" of the
Timorese defense force (F-FDTL) with holding the military
together during the urest of 2006.

EAST-WEST DIFFERENCES AND THE IDP ISSUE


4. (U) When A/S Hill inquired about the East-West
differences that surfaced in 2006, Ramos-Horta dismissed them
as "an oversimplification by experts amplified by the media."
He contended that there has never been a war between
Easterners and Westerners in Timorese history. The situation
is actually more complex because the country has many ethnic
groups. When they mix in Dili, they compete for housing,
jobs, and market space. Citing the commercial prowess of
traders from Laga and the envy it provokes, Ramos-Horta
suggested that varying rates of success among the different
groups fuels the rivalries among them.


5. (U) In response to A/S Hill's urging that the GOTL
address the IDP problem, Ramos-Horta indicated that finding
new homes for displaced persons is a high priority of the new
government. He noted that the UN, the GOTL, and
non-governmental organizations have reached an agreement to
stop blanket food distribution. Once the new budget is
approved, the GOTL will move ahead in other ways to resolve
the IDP issue, he added. Ramos-Horta complained that
FRETILIN was not interested in solving the IDP problem when
he was prime minister. It is still not interested in doing
so because many political supporters live in the IDP camps
and it can easily manipulate them, he said.

THE PETITIONERS AND REINADO


6. (C) Ramos-Horta described his plans to address the
concerns of the petitioners dismissed from F-FDTL in 2006.
He has proposed that petitioners wishing to rejoin the army
must reapply and submit to screening. Those not wishing to
reapply and those who do not pass the screening would receive

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a severance package of three years' salary. When A/S Hill
inquired how the government plans to deal with Major Reinado,
the President explained that he is trying to arrange for
Reinado to surrender peacefully and submit to justice.

BILATERAL ASSISTANCE


7. (U) A/S Hill reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to support
Timor-Leste as it tackles the challenges ahead, including
through our bilateral assistance programs. Ramos-Horta
expressed gratitude for U.S. assistance, particularly the
scholarships for Timorese to study at the East-West Center in
Hawaii. He described how he also hoped to send more Timorese
students to study abroad in low-cost countries, in particular
in the Philippines and Indonesia, as a way of developing the
human capital of Timor-Leste's next generation. Noting that
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo supports the idea,
Ramos-Horta requested U.S. assistance in facilitating such
"tripartite" programs. A/S Hill stressed the importance of
expanding English language education and agreed to consider
the matter.

UNGA


8. (C) A/S Hill urged that Timor-Leste support a resolution
on human rights violations in Iran that the UN General
Assembly will consider this session. Ramos-Horta underscored
Timor-Leste's strong record of supporting U.S. positions at
the UN, and agreed to consider the Timorese position on the
matter. Noting that Timor-Leste does not have any relations
with Iran or Venezuela, the President also criticized the
behavior of both President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and President
Hugo Chavez at the UN as "unacceptable."
RICE