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FM AMEMBASSY DILI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2480
INFO RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0372
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHXX/GENEVA IO MISSIONS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0434
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 0361
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0218
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0232
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0303
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0104
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 1801

UNCLAS E F T O SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000210 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, IO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ASEC MARR PREL KJUS KCRM KAWC ID TT
SUBJECT: DAS JOHN MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER ALKATIRI 
 
REF: A) DILI 203 B) DILI 194 
 
DILI 00000210  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: EAP Deputy Assistant Secretary Eric John, 
along with Ambassador Rees and Emboff, met with Prime Minister 
Mari Alkatiri on May 3.  DAS John congratulated Alkatiri on the 
many things that the Government of East Timor (GOET) is getting 
right, such as their work with the Millennium Challenge Account, 
the petroleum fund, and continued democratic development, but he 
stressed the importance of a level playing field for the 2007 
elections and expressed the hope that current security 
challenges would soon be resolved.  Referring to his decision to 
call in the armed forces (F-FDTL) to quell riots that broke out 
on April 28, Alkatiri stated that the situation had gotten out 
of control and that therefore he had no other option.  He 
described the current situation as stabilized and said that 
soldiers still deployed around Dili would be sent back to their 
barracks within 24 hours.  He also acknowledged the need to have 
a full and transparent accounting of what happened during the 
response to the riots, especially the need to address the rumors 
of up to 60 additional unreported deaths.  DAS John also raised 
the issue of accountability for crimes committed in 1999. 
Alkatiri registered no objection to the U.S. position that the 
investigative unit of the Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) be 
re-established or to the need for a one-year extension for the 
Truth and Friendship Commission (TFC) to complete its work.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2. (U) During a meeting on May 3 with Prime Minister Alkatiri, 
DAS John began by congratulating the Prime Minister on the many 
things East Timor has gotten right: a fiscally responsible and 
transparent trust fund for petroleum revenues, selection as a 
Millennium Challenge Account eligible country, and a democratic 
system that the United States hopes will be a model for other 
countries in the region and the world. 
 
¶3. (U) Turning to areas of concern, DAS John noted that East 
Timor's first post-independence national elections will take 
place in 2007 and indicated that the United States wants to 
provide technical support and to help ensure that the elections 
will be universally recognized as free and fair.  In response, 
the Prime Minister noted that the election cycle will soon begin 
with the party congress of the ruling Fretilin Party, scheduled 
for the end of May.  He predicted that the Fretilin Congress 
will help to stabilize the nation.  (Note:  Fretilin leaders 
often equate stability and harmony within the party with 
stability and harmony within the nation.)  The Prime Minister 
added that the Government would send a draft election law to 
Parliament later that same day.  He said he hopes there will be 
hundreds of international observers at the election, and noted 
that the Government is working with the United Nations on 
international assistance for the elections, although the details 
have not been fixed.  He agreed that the objective must be fair 
elections in which everyone has confidence.  DAS John noted that 
a transparent election inspires confidence in all other aspects 
of the country's governance, and Alkatiri responded that 
"elections are just the starting point.  Ultimately the 
government's legitimacy is in how it governs."  He expressed the 
hope that governmental responsibilities could devolve over the 
next few years to local governments, but said that capacity 
building would be necessary before local government officials 
were ready for this responsibility. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Turning to the recent civil disturbances and ongoing 
security situation, Prime Minister Alkatiri stated that he had 
had no option but to call in the F-FDTL to assist in quelling 
the riots that broke out on Friday afternoon (April 28).  He 
stated that he had initially called in the Military Police to 
respond to the rioting at the Government compound "to save the 
building - otherwise it would have been burned down."  He 
described the situation as then having worsened, particularly in 
the Tasitolu area, causing him to then call in regular F-FDTL 
personnel  --- that is, combat troops rather than military 
police --- to control the situation and to get the rioters out 
of the area.  DAS John noted the need to ensure clear roles for 
the respective security institutions, to which Alkatiri 
responded that the roles are already clear, but more training is 
needed to ensure the capacity of each to carry out their roles. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Regarding how the riots got started and who was behind 
them, Alkatiri noted that elements of Colimau 2000 (see Ref B) 
 
DILI 00000210  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
were definitely involved.  He said that as early as Tuesday, 
April 25, the non-petitioner demonstrators began splitting up 
into smaller groups that caused problems in various parts of 
Dili, leaving many fewer people at the main demonstration site. 
He stated that the plans for violence were made in advance and 
known to the petitioners, but that they had erroneously believed 
they could maintain control of the demonstration and keep it 
peaceful.  Alkatiri reported telling the leader of the 
petitioners, Lieutenant Salsinha, "you have already lost 
control" during their meeting on Thursday, April 27, the day 
before the riot. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Alkatiri expressed confidence that the current 
situation is stable, but observed that the challenge now is to 
fight rumors.  This is much more difficult, he stated, as people 
are now scared and already prone to worry based on previous 
experiences of trauma.  Immediately prior to the meeting with 
DAS John, Alkatiri had met with General Taur Matan Ruak.  The 
Prime Minister said that they had agreed that all soldiers would 
withdraw from their current posts around the city perimeter and 
return to their barracks within 24 hours.  In an indirect 
reference to his unhappiness with police handling of the riots, 
he said that he hoped the police would be able to maintain 
security. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Ambassador mentioned continuing reports that small 
squads of F-FDTL were going to the houses of petitioners and/or 
people suspected of having connections with them, seeking to 
arrest these people and/or harassing and intimidating their 
family members.  The Prime Minister responded that General Matan 
Ruak had assured him that F-FDTL are no longer conducting 
operations of any kind in Dili.  Rather, they are in fixed 
positions around the perimeter of the city and will soon be 
removed even from these positions. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Ambassador congratulated the Prime Minister on the 
Government's announcement on May 2 of a commission to 
investigate deaths and injuries that had occurred over the 
weekend.  He noted that Arsenio Bano, the Minister of Labor who 
will co-chair the commission, will have credibility among 
Timorese and internationals.  The Ambassador also commended the 
Prime Minister for the commission's reported decision to accept 
the assistance of human rights experts from the United Nations 
Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) and stressed the importance of a 
credible investigation.  The Prime Minister also noted that the 
Provedor (Ombudsman) is also doing a parallel investigation, and 
agreed that "the people must know the truth."  Alkatiri said he 
still believes that the maximum number of dead will not exceed 6 
or 7 people. 
 
¶9. (U) DAS John also congratulated the Prime Minister on East 
Timor's good relations with its neighbors, Australia and 
Indonesia.  He noted that good relations with Indonesia are 
important to the United States and that he knows a good 
bilateral relationship with Indonesia is also extremely 
important to East Timor.  Noting that the impressive progress 
toward reform in the Indonesian government, including the 
military, must include accountability for serious crimes 
committed in the past, he stated that the United States would 
like to revive the investigate unit of the SCU to complete the 
remaining investigations into serious crimes committed in East 
Timor in 1999, and also to extend the mandate of the TFC by one 
year.  DAS John noted that it was important for the SCU to 
complete its investigations in part because this would enable 
the TFC to make a complete assessment of all the serious crimes 
within its mandate.  Prime Minister Alkatiri stated that East 
Timor had no objection to this plan and would welcome the 
completion of the investigative record, but that the challenge 
will be to get acceptance by the Government of Indonesia.  He 
noted that East Timor is not in a position to pressure the 
Government of Indonesia on this count and must depend on other 
nations to be the primary interlocutors on these issues.  DAS 
John added that the United States wants the TFC to name the 
names of perpetrators and to have international participation in 
its processes.  He added that the United States will keep 
pushing for a credible outcome, but that it is important to know 
that GOET is in agreement. 
 
¶10. (U) DAS John did not have an opportunity to clear this cable. 
REES