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RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 4073

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000240 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL TT
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT REVERSES COURSE AFTER PRESIDENT THREATENS TO 
RESIGN 
 
DILI 00000240  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) President Jose Ramos-Horta threatened to resign as 
Timor-Leste's president on September 9 unless the national 
parliament reversed its vote disapproving of his planned travel 
to the United States for the UN General Assembly.  The 
parliament, with unclear constitutional authority, voted against 
the president's proposed trip on September 8 as a protest 
against the government's decision to release indicted militia 
leader Martenus Bere to Indonesian custody on August 30.  The 
Parliament took a second vote the afternoon of September 9 and 
approved the president's travel, although several 
parliamentarians reportedly took the decision under duress and 
only in the "interest of the state." 
 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Ramos-Horta summoned the diplomatic corps at 5:00 PM 
on September 9 (which had been his deadline for the parliament 
to approve his travel) to inform them of his resignation threat 
and to criticize unwelcome intervention on the Bere case from 
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and 
international NGOs.  Ramos-Horta, barely suppressing his anger, 
told diplomats the parliament was "playing with fire" by playing 
political games with him.  This parliament was corrupt and 
ineffective, Ramos-Horta charged, and needed to be cleaned up 
and "taught a lesson" in the coming months.  Despite the 
parliament's reversal, Ramos-Horta insisted "this isn't over" 
and hinted at exercising his presidential prerogative to 
dissolve parliament and call early elections or resign before 
the end of his term.  The president stated his intention to hold 
a press conference the evening of September 9 to reveal publicly 
his resignation threat and to identify the "irresponsible" 
politicians who had insulted the dignity of his office, with the 
expectation that the people would be angered at the treatment he 
had received and frightened at the prospect of losing him as 
president. 
 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Ramos-Horta sharply criticized a September 2 letter 
released publicly by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 
questioning the government's handling of the Bere case. 
Ramos-Horta rhetorically demanded to know who had authorized 
such a letter and promised to respond directly only to the UN 
Secretary General and the UN Security Council.  He questioned 
the need for a representative of the human rights commissioner 
to be resident in Timor-Leste - a country which has ratified 
"all of the human rights treaties" - and criticized the United 
Nations for its "hypocrisy" in failing to prosecute human rights 
violators or establish an international tribunal while it still 
had executive authority in Timor-Leste up to 2002. 
 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The president urged diplomatic missions to refrain 
from instigating critical commentary from international NGOs and 
to convince parliamentarians to "stop playing games."   He 
praised Portugal, Brazil, and Spain for not lecturing 
Timor-Leste on the issue of justice.  Ramos-Horta accused the 
international community of not understanding the situation in 
Timor-Leste and not appreciating the fruits enjoyed by 
Timor-Leste as a result of its non-confrontational approach 
toward Indonesia, citing a stable border (despite the presence 
of thousands of former East Timorese militia in West Timor), 
preferential access for Timorese students in Indonesian 
universities, and Indonesia's support for Timor-Leste's ASEAN 
membership.  If we listened to the international community, 
Ramos-Horta concluded, Timor-Leste would be much worse off. 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) COMMENT: Ramos-Horta sees himself as above local 
politics and as an indispensable guarantor of stability in the 
country.  Ramos-Horta has taken the parliament's vote as a 
personal affront and may also be using his threat to resign as a 
way to end the growing criticism of the government's decision to 
release Bere.  This latest development indicates that the 
ongoing controversy surrounding the Bere case is continuing to 
exacerbate partisan politics. 
 
 
DILI 00000240  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) COMMENT (cont): The processing of the legal case 
against Bere continues to evolve.  Currently, responsibility 
lies with the Prosecutor-General (a member of the opposition 
Fretilin party).  The Prosecutor-General has already determined 
that Bere remains a Timorese citizen, is checking the validity 
of the outstanding arrest warrant, and is traveling to Suai on 
September 10 to examine the documents pertaining to the case. 
HENICK