USG ASSISTANCE TO CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF THE ATTEMPTED

UNCLAS DILI 000051 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FBI FOR INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS; JAKARTA FOR LEGATT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KJUS KCRM ASEC PREL TT SUBJECT: USG ASSISTANCE TO CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF TIMOR-LESTE PRESIDENT AND PM REF: A) DILI 49 B) KLEMM-SIMTH TELCON C) KLEMM-TAYLOR EMAILS 1) Action requested. Find in para 3 below the full text of a letter received from Acting President Fernando Lasama de Araujo on February 15, 2008. As discussed in ref A, the Government of Timor-Leste requests assistance from the United States to support the criminal investigation of the events of February 11, 2008, in which the President of the Republic was seriously wounded and the Prime Minister came under automatic gunfire attack. The letter below formally requests such assistance. The Embassy strongly endorses this request and asks the Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation or other US agencies to respond promtly and postively. 2) The Embassy is very grateful for the expressed willingness by the FBI to assist in this matter (refs B and C). Should FBI assistance be provided, the Embassy will eagerly and fully support. Embassy confirms that security conditions in Timor-Leste have stablized since February 11. The UN Police and Australian-led International Stablization Force have secured Dili and its surroundings, and the local police have done a commendable job searching for weapons with frequent road blocks on all major roads. This along with an imposed dust-to-dawn curfew has had dramatic and positive effect on the overall security situation. Dili and the country as a whole has remained calm since the events of February 11 and there is no immediate threat to FBI agents who might travel to Timor-Leste. Should FBI assistance be provided, the Embassy RSO will brief the agents throughly upon arrival. 3) Begin letter: "Dili, February 2008 H.E. Hans Klemm U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste U.S. Embassy Dili Dear Ambassador, Following the attempted assassination of the President of the Republic and Prime Minister of Timor-Leste on 11th February 2008, the Office of the Prosecutor-General of the Republic has been asked to conduct an investigation into the incidents. It is critical that this investigation is conducted in a timely and thorough manner so as to provide clarification to the existing concerns of the local population. It is in this light that the State of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste requests the assistance from the United States Government to support the criminal investigation of the events of 11th February. We would ask that personnel designated by your Government be assigned to directly support the Prosecutor-General in this task. Please accept, Ambassador, the assurances of my highest consideration and respect. /S/ Fernando Lasama de Araujo Acting President of the Republic CC: H.E. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Zacarias da Costa, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Longuinhos Monteiro, Prosecutor-General of the Republic" End letter. KLEMM