TIMOR-LESTE -- PM GUSMAO STRESSES RECONCILIATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000878

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS
NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV ID TT
SUBJECT: TIMOR-LESTE -- PM GUSMAO STRESSES RECONCILIATION
IN JAKARTA

Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Visiting Timor-Leste PM Gusmao stressed
reconciliation on a recent visit to Jakarta. In a speech,
Gusmao said the Timorese could never forget the human rights
violations that accompanied the country's birth, but they did
need to forgive. During the visit, President Yudhoyono and
Gusmao signed several economic and health cooperation
agreements. Gusmao's visit seems to have gone some way in
smoothing out relations between the two countries which were
bruised when President Ramos-Horta seemed almost to all but
blame Indonesia for the February turbulence in Dili. END
SUMMARY.

A PRODUCTIVE VISIT


2. (U) Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao visited
Jakarta April 29-May 1. He met President Yudhoyono, senior
foreign affairs, defense and economic officials, members of
the Indonesian legislature and Islamic leaders. He also met
business leaders, members of the Timorese community in
Jakarta and delivered a public speech.


3. (C) Gusmao and Yudhoyono signed three MOUs covering trade
and health cooperation. They did not finalize an agreement
for joint military training between the two countries,
however. Timor-Leste DCM Roberto Soares told poloff that the
Indonesian side was being "very careful" with the language of
the mil-mil agreement. The GOI wanted to avoid any possible
appearance of inappropriate military interference in
Timor-Leste, according to Soares. The Timor-Leste side was
more relaxed over the matter. Officials from both countries
will continue to meet to try to reach a defense-related
agreement, Soares said.

BACKTRACKING FROM RAMOS-HORTA


4. (U) In public and private, Gusmao sought to calm the
furor sparked by President Jose Ramos-Horta's recent remarks.
He said Ramos-Horta regretted having said that a prominent
journalist and other Indonesians helped the rebels who
attempted to assassinate him (and Gusmao) during the February
turbulence in Dili. Speaking after a meeting with Yudhoyono,
Gusmao asked Indonesians to understand Ramos-Horta's
condition after being shot and remaining in a coma for two
weeks. He also thanked Yudhoyono for the Indonesian
authorities' swift arrest of fugitive Timorese soldiers
implicated in the February attacks. (Note: The GOI is
investigating the situation and reportedly plans to transfer
those arrested into Timorese custody soon.)

STRESSING RECONCILIATION


5. (U) In a public speech at a local hotel on April 30,
Gusmao delivered a strong message that the joint
Indonesia-Timor-leste Commission on Truth and Friendship
(CTF) should close the chapter on past human rights abuses
and that the two countries should move on the basis of
forgiveness. The CTF "will be adopted by two countries
within the year and should be implemented as far as
possible," he told a large audience of diplomats, officials
and other interested persons. Both countries suffered under
the same repressive regime, he said. The countries should
stress reconciliation "instead of starting legal cases"
against each other.


6. (U) In response to a question, Gusmao said the key point
is that "this report is for us a closure of a chapter. If we
to continue to live in the mistakes of the past, we will not
have the time to make our peoples' lives better today." He
added, "We will ask the international community to understand
that we chose our own way." Then, switching to broken Bahasa
Indonesia for the next 20 minutes, he continued, "We cannot
ever forget but we can forgive. What needs to be done? The
CTF report is a political gesture." He then compared the
ugly history to a children's book, saying that like a child
who get bored with reading the same book over and over again,

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and already knows the story, it's time to move on to a new
book.


7. (C) After the speech, CTF member Wisber Loeis told
DepPol/C that the two Presidents have received the CTF report
informally. The formal version is still being printed and
collated, and will need to be translated into Tetun and
Portuguese (Indonesian and English translations are done)
before it can be officially presented. He said this will
probably happen around the end of May, but seemed to fudge on
that. There will be a public announcement when this happens,
he said. (Note: Separately, CTF member Agus Widjoyo told
the media that the Commission would release the report on May
26.)


8. (C) DepPol/C told Wisber that senior human rights
activist Usman Hamid of Kontras (an Indonesian NGO) seemed to
know a lot about the CTF report, and that he said the report
can be used as a basis to prosecute human right violators.
Wisber said he has heard the same and that some in the GOI
are worried the report could open up this avenue.


9. (C) In a brief chat, Presidential Spokesman Dino Djalal
told DepPol/C that the presidential staff were still studying
the CTF report and have no reaction yet, even unofficially.

A CONSTRUCTIVE VISIT


10. (C) Gusmao's visit seems to have gone some way in
smoothing out relations between the two countries which were
bruised when President Ramos-Horta appeared almost to all but
blame Indonesia for the February turbulence in Dili. Gusmao
seemed to go out of his way to try to build up relations and
to be amiable to his Indonesian hosts. The GOI seemed to
appreciate it and he was able to just about touch base with
all of the key movers-and-shakers in Jakarta. His comments
re the CTF accentuate his view that that process is key
mainly from the reconciliation standpoint. That view is no
doubt shared by many in Jakarta.

HUME