XANANA GUSMAO LETTER TO THE SECRETARY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001577

E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/24/09
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PINR ID UN
SUBJECT: XANANA GUSMAO LETTER TO THE SECRETARY

REF: A) STATE 47684, B) JAKARTA 1413


1. CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE MICHAEL P. OWENS, REASON, 1.5
(B) AND (D).


2. FOLLOWING IS A LETTER FROM EAST TIMORESE RESISTANCE
LEADER XANANA GUSMAO TO THE SECRETARY, IN RESPONSE TO
THE SECRETARY'S LETTER OF MARCH 19 (REF A). THE
ORIGINAL IS BEING FORWARDED BY POUCH:

SALEMBA, MARCH 22, 1999

SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
2201 C STREET, NW
WASHINGTON, DC 20520

DEAR MADAME SECRETARY,

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER OF MARCH 19. YOUR WORDS ARE
OF GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT AND CERTAINLY REINFORCE OUR
COMMITMENT FOR PEACE IN EAST TIMOR AS OUR HUMBLE
CONTRIBUTION TO A STABLE AND PEACEFUL SOUTHEAST ASIA.

I WILL RECALL OUR MEETING AS A MEMORABLE OPPORTUNITY TO
SHARE A MOMENT OF FREEDOM WITH SOMEONE WHO SO CLEARLY
UNDERSTANDS ITS MEANING. IT WAS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO
VOICE THE YEARNINGS OF MY PEOPLE FOR PEACE AND
RECONCILIATION AND, ABOVE ALL, PEACE OF MIND TO SECURE
A FREE AND DIGNIFIED LIFE FOR ALL OUR CHILDREN.

I ALSO WISH TO EXPRESS OUR INTEREST IN STAYING IN CLOSE
AND REGULAR TOUCH WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND
AMBASSADOR J. STAPLETON ROY. MY PERSONAL ASSISTANT,
MS. KIRSTY SWORD, WILL ENSURE THE CONTACT BETWEEN
THE US EMBASSY IN JAKARTA AND MY OFFICE.

REPORTS FROM EAST TIMOR ARE UNFORTUNATELY DEPICTING AN
ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION AS WELL AS AN
INCREASE OF ARMED MILITIAS GROUPS (NAMELY IN LOSPALOS
AND SAME).

THE PEACE AND RECONCILIATION PROCESS IS FACING NEW
SETBACKS AFTER THE EXPOSURE OF THE POLITICAL MANEUVERING
BY GOVERNOR ABILIO OSORIO SOARES AND MR. GIL ALVES,
PRESIDENT OF KLIBUR. THE DOCUMENT, WHICH REVEALED THEIR
INSINCERE INTENTIONS IN THE RECONCILIATION DIALOGUE ALSO
PROVES ABRI (THE INDONESIAN MILITARY) AND DEPLU (THE
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS) BACK THEIR ACTION AND
STRATEGY.

THEY RECENTLYHELD A MEETING WITH A GROUP OF TEN
INDONESIAN GENERALS IN WHICH SEVEN STATED THEY WOULD
RESPECT A DECISION TAKEN BY THE PEOPLE OF EAST TIMOR
WHILE THREE, INCLUDING MR. ZACHY ANWAR (FORMER HEAD
OF BIA)(MILITARY INTELLIGENCE),SUPPORT THE ONGOING WAR
AGAINST DEFENSELESS CIVILIANS.

WE INSIST THAT THE TWO CATHOLIC BISHOPS, MONS. XIMENES
BELO AND MONS. BASILIO DO NASCIMENTO, LEAD THE PEACE AND
RECONCILIATION PROCESS. NO ONE ELSE GATHERS SIMILAR
CONSENSUS, POLITICAL CREDIBILITY AND LEGITIMACY. WE
ARE ALSO SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS CARRIED OUT BY KOMNASHAM
(THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION) TO FACILITATE
DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE EAST TIMORESE, TO SET UP A BROAD-
BASED PEACE AND STABILITY COUNCIL.

WE SUPPORT THE TWO CATHOLIC BISHOPS' STANCE ON
DEVELOPING THE RECONCILIATION PROCESS IN DILI RATHER
THAN JAKARTA AND URGE THAT PRESSURE BE EXERTED UPON
JAKARTA TO ENABLE MY PRESENCE IN DILI TO PARTICIPATE
IN A FUTURE MEETING CONVENED BY THE BISHOPS.

WE INSIST ON THE NEED TO DISARM AND DISBAND THE ARMED
MILITIA GROUPS. WE ARE AWARE OF THE DIFFICULTIES THIS
WILL RAISE GIVEN THE SPONSORSHIP AND SUPPORT GRANTED BY
JAKATA AND ABRI. UNFORTUNATELY SUCH A SITUATION HAS
FORCED ME TO SHIFT MY CALL FOR A UN POLICE FORCE TO A
UN PEACE KEEPING FORCE. THE ACTION CARRIED OUT BY THESE
GROUPS IS NOT WARFARE AGAINST AN ARMED COUNTERPART. IT
IS COLD-BLOODED MURDER AGAINST DEFENSELESS CIVILIANS,
SUCH AS THE MALIANA KILLINGS TWO DAYS AGO, WHERE TWO
ELEVEN YEAR OLD CHILDREN WERE SHOT.

WE FULLY AGREE WITH AND HIGHLY APPRECIATE THE POINTS
YOU RAISED AS ON-GOING EFFORTS TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF
VIOLENCE IN THE TERRITORY. WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO USE
THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS OUR DEEPEST GRATITUDE AND
ADMIRATION FOR YOUR WORDS AND SPEECH "INDONESIA, THE
UNITED STATES AND DEMOCRACY," ADDRESSED IN JAKARTA
BEFORE LEAVING INDONESIA. WE AGREE THAT ONLY AN
IMMEDIATE REDUCTION OF ABRI'S PRESENCE IN EAST TIMOR
WILL ENABLE ITS FUTURE PARTICIPATION IN A UN PEACE
KEEPING FORCE AND THAT ONLY A DEMOCRATIC AND CREDIBLE
MECHANISM TO DETERMINE THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE WILL
LAST AND SUCCEED.

WE ARE CERTAIN THAT WITH YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND
COMMITMENT TO PEACE IN EAST TIMOR IT WILL BECOME A
REALITY IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WE PLEDGE OUR COMMITMENT TO
ENSURE THAT THE FREEDOM OF EAST TIMOR AND THE BIRTH OF
OUR NEW NATION WILL BE YET ANOTHER FIRM STEP IN THE
DIRECTION OF PEACE AND COOPERATION IN THIS TROUBLED
REGION OF THE WORLD.


SINCERELY
KAY RALA XANANA GUSMAO


3. COMMENT: IN OUR VIEW, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT POINTS IN
XANANA'S LETTER ARE:

-- AN INSISTENCE THAT THE TWO BISHOPS TAKE THE LEAD IN
RECONCILIATION EFFORTS (WHICH CONFIRMS EARLIER REPORTS -
REF B),AND HIS DESIRE TO ATTEND ANY RESULTING CHURCH-
SPONSORED FORUM IN EAST TIMOR.

-- HIS REITERATION OF SUPPORT FOR KOMNASHAM'S PROPOSED
PEACE AND STABILITY COUNCIL. (OTHERS ON THE PRO-
INDEPENDENCE SIDE ARE LESS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT A
KOMNASHAM ROLE.)

-- A CALL FOR A UN PEACEKEEPING FORCE. XANANA
PREVIOUSLY HAD EXPRESSED PREFERENCE FOR A RELATIVELY
SMALL UN POLICE CONTINGENT.

-- HIS CALL FOR A REDUCED ABRI PRESENCE. UNLIKE SOME ON
THE PRO-INDEPENDENCE SIDE, XANANA STOPS SHORT OF
DEMANDING A TOTAL ABRI WITHDRAWAL BEFORE THE VOTING
PROCESS AND EVEN SUGGESTS THAT ABRI COULD BE PART OF A
"PEACEKEEPING FORCE."


4. XANANA'S UNCHARACTERISTICALLY UNDIPLOMATIC DIATRIBE
AGAINST GOVERNOR ABILIO SOARES AND SOARES' BROTHER-IN-
LAW GIL ALVES STEMS FROM HIS BELIEF THAT HE WAS DECEIVED
ABOUT THE OBJECTIVES OF THE LATTER'S "RECONCILIATION
DIALOGUE," WHICH WAS TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE MARCH 19-20 IN
JAKARTA (REF B). XANANA APPARENTLY HAD AGREED TO ATTEND
THE MEETING AFTER BEING GIVEN THE IMPRESSION THAT THIS
WAS AN ATTEMPT TO START A DIALOGUE BETWEEN PRO AND ANTI-
INDEPENDENCE FORCES. HE SUBSEQUENTLY DISCOVERED THAT
SOARES AND ALVES, IN A FUNDING REQUEST TO THE DEPARTMENT
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, HAD PORTRAYED THE FORUM'S PURPOSE AS
PROMOTING THE AUTONOMY OPTION. THERE CURRENTLY IS A
SEEMINGLY UNBRIDGEABLE DIVIDE BETWEEN THE PRO AND ANTI-
INDEPENDENCE FORCES IN REGARD TO THE CONCEPT OF
"RECONCILIATION." XANANA'S SIDE SEES RECONCILIATION AS
CONVINCING THE PRO-INTEGRATION FORCES TO ACCOMMODATE
THEMSELVES TO THE REALITY OF INEVITABLE INDEPENDENCE,
WHILE THE PRO-INTEGRATIONISTS DEFINE IT AS LEADING TO A
COMPROMISE SOLUTION BETWEEN OUTRIGHT INDEPENDENCE AND
THE STATUS QUO, I.E., AUTONOMY. XANANA'S CRITICISM OF
ZACHY ANWAR IS IN CONTRAST TO PREVIOUS INDICATIONS THAT
ZACHY (WHO HAS MET WITH XANANA ON AT LEAST TWO
OCCASIONS) HAD ESTABLISHED A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH
XANANA AND WAS PLAYING A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN PROMOTING
RECONCILIATION EFFORTS.

OWENS