PRESIDENT RAMOS-HORTA RETURNS TO TIMOR-LESTE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000113

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EA/MTS
PACOM FOR POLADS - CHRISTY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/17/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV TT
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT RAMOS-HORTA RETURNS TO TIMOR-LESTE

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CLASSIFIED BY: Henry M. Rector, Charge d'affaires, U.S. Embassy
Dili, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Summary. Two months after being severely injured in an
assassination attempt, Timor-Leste President Ramos-Horta
received a warm welcome upon his return to Dili on April 17,
with crowds lining the route of his motorcade. He gave a brief
address to Parliament in which he repeated his call for the
surviving leader of the February 11 attackers to turn himself
in, and urged the GOTL to formulate a plan to reduce the impact
of rising commodity costs on Timor-Leste's poor. A source close
to Ramos-Horta said that the President's advisors persuaded him
to delay giving a longer, possibly more contentious speech to
Parliament until Monday, April 21, and that Ramos-Horta would
revise it as necessary once he had assessed the mood in the
capital over the coming days. Observers will be watching the
President's conduct closely for substantiation of reports that
Ramos-Horta's attitude towards the opposition FRETILIN party has
warmed during his recovery, while his relationship with Prime
Minister Xanana Gusmao has deteriorated. End Summary.



WARM WELCOME HOME


2. (U) After two months of recovery in Darwin, Australia from
his February 11 shooting, President Jose Ramos-Horta returned to
Dili on the morning of April 17. He was met at the airport by
the entire Cabinet, leaders of political parties, the diplomatic
corps, and a large crowd. In remarks to the press at the
airport, he previewed the themes of his speech to Parliament
(see paras 5 - 7 below). Dismissing one of the innumerable
accounts of the February 11 attacks that are circulating in
Dili, he denied that he had invited the assassins to his house
for a meeting, and said that the shooting of their leader, Major
Alfredo Reinado, was a justifiable reaction on the part of the
security guards at the Presidential compound.


3. (U) Throngs lined the route as the President's car made its
way into town. A visibly emotional Ramos-Horta stopped
occasionally to wade into the crowd. Security for Ramos-Horta's
convoy was provided by National Police and Portuguese Republican
National Guard, while the International Stabilization Force
(ISF) secured the route. As the small motorcade proceeded
slowly, flag-waving Timorese fell in behind it, forming a parade.


4. (U) While the warmth of the welcome was heartfelt, the
turnout was not completely spontaneous. The government and
schools closed for the day, and government workers were ordered
to attend the parade and carry banners. Ministries and offices
were even given numerical quotas of participants to be provided
for the welcome-home festivities.

RAMOS-HORTA ADDRESSES PARLIAMENT


5. (U) In a brief address to Parliament at 10:00 a.m.,
Ramos-Horta thanked Fernando "Lasama" de Araujo for his service
as Acting President; Lasama will now resume his previous duties
as President of Parliament. He thanked the political parties
and people of Timor-Leste for their support during his
convalescence. He also thanked the ISF and the Aspen Clinic for
treating him and transporting him to Australia on February 11.


6. (U) Ramos-Horta said that the impact of rising commodity
prices on Timor-Leste's poor was his highest priority at the
moment, and he urged the GOTL and National Parliament to make
funding available to address this problem even if it meant
dipping into the Petroleum Trust Fund. Ramos-Horta announced
that he would speak to Parliament again at greater length on
Monday.


7. (U) Ramos-Horta then reiterated his appeal to Lieutenant
Gastao Salsinha, leader of the surviving February 11 attackers,
to turn himself in to the Prosecutor General, with the Church as
an intermediary if necessary. He said that it was important
that Salsinha turn himself in alive so that he could tell a
court of law who was behind the shootings, who sent the
attackers to Dili, and who might still be seeking to destabilize
Timor-Leste. Ramos-Horta appeared to be fighting back tears as

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he recalled his efforts to hold a dialogue with Major Alfredo
Reinado, the leader of the February 11 attackers.

DAYS AHEAD


8. (C) Ramos-Horta has no fixed plans for the next few days,
except for a small dinner he will host on April 19 for Prince
Albert of Monaco. On Monday, April 21, the President's staff
will relocate from its current office in the Palacio des Cinzas
to a newly-renovated facility in Farol, on Dili's waterfront.
According to Atul Khare, Head of the United Nations Integrated
Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT),Ramos-Horta may travel to Europe
in 2 - 3 weeks' time to meet with the Pope. (Note: Ramos-Horta
has publicly invoked religious themes at several points during
his recovery. He sported a t-shirt emblazoned with a portrait
of Jesus in one appearance, and implied in an interview that he
survived the attack as a result of divine intervention.
"Welcome Back" T-shirts distributed for today's events featured
an image of Ramos-Horta with the Pope.)

REALIGNMENT IN THE WORKS?


9. (C) Most observers expect some kind of political realignment
in the coming days and weeks, although the exact nature of these
changes is the subject of rumor and speculation. During his
recovery, Ramos-Horta has reportedly moved closer to the
opposition FRETILIN party, due in part to the presence in Darwin
of his ex-wife, FRETILIN heavyweight Ana Pessoa. There is a
strong perception in Dili that his relations with Prime Minister
Xanana Gusmao have chilled. A source on Ramos-Horta's staff
told us today that Ramos-Horta may assign FRETILIN leaders
advisory roles on security sector and public administration
reform, and may endorse FRETILIN Secretary General Alkatiri's
call for an independent investigation to the February 11 attacks.


10. (C) The same source told us that Ramos-Horta had originally
planned to give a much longer speech before Parliament today,
but that advisors had persuaded him to put it aside and instead
deliver it, possibly in a revised form, on Monday. According to
the source, the Ramos-Horta's advisors deemed the contents of
the first draft of this speech - which may have included a call
for early parliamentary elections -- too disruptive, and wanted
the President to reconsider after he had had time to gauge the
mood of the country and relations among the various political
players in Dili.
RECTOR