VZCZCXRO6070
OO RUEHCHI RUEHNH RUEHPB
DE RUEHDT #0236/01 1361115
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O P 161115Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY DILI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2532
INFO RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0412
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHXX/GENEVA IO MISSIONS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0474
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 0401
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0255
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0269
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0340
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0141
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 1853

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000236 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, USPACOM FOR JOC AND POLAD, JOINT STAFF FOR J5 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ASEC KPKO KDEM TT
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER REPORTS PROGRESS IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH 
DISSIDENT MILITARY AND THE INVESTIGATIONS INTO MAY 28 
 
REF: Dili 233 
 
DILI 00000236  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: In a May 13 meeting with the Diplomatic Corps, 
Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta reported that significant 
progress was made over the weekend to ease tensions with the 
dissident military groups including the group led by Major 
Reinado and the 591 Petitioners led by Lt. Salsinha.  Reinado's 
group met with the President and, while they did not agree to 
surrender their arms, Reinado formally renounced the use of 
violence and agreed to implement several confidence building 
measures, including minimizing the visibility of weapons and 
conducting all patrols jointly with the National Police (PNTL). 
Separately, Salsinha's group agreed to take concrete steps to 
cooperate with the government commission investigating their 
complaints.  Horta also reported that the government's 
investigation into April 28 has concluded that there is no 
evidence that more than 5 people were killed, but, to ensure 
that the results are widely accepted, the government has 
requested that an independent, international investigation be 
conducted. 
 
Maj. Reinado and the MPs 
------------------------ 
¶2. (SBU) Early on the morning of Saturday, May 13, Major Alfredo 
Reinado and members of his group traveled to Dili accompanied by 
Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta to meet with the President and 
to discuss their grievances and possible confidence measures 
which could be implemented to deescalate tensions. 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to Horta, the President asked Reinado and his 
men to return to Dili and to surrender all weapons. Reinado 
replied that he couldn't do that until the events of April 28 
had been thoroughly investigated and the guilty parties 
punished. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The President then asked Reinado's group to undertake 
several measures to ease tensions, minimize the possibility that 
miscalculation or misunderstanding might result in violence, and 
facilitate communication with the regular military.  According 
to Horta and confirmed in a telcon with Reinado, Reinado agreed 
to all of the president's proposals, including: 
 
-- pledging loyalty to the state and rejecting the use of 
violence except for self-defense; 
-- minimizing the visibility of weapons outside his headquarters; 
-- conducting all movements jointly with the National Police 
(PNTL); 
-- accepting the presence of a military "liaison officer" at his 
headquarters to facilitate communication and coordination with 
regular armed forces (F-FDTL) units and General Taur Matan Ruak; 
and 
-- encouraging other armed elements, such as PNTL members who 
fled to Aileu with their families and weapons, to remain calm 
and peaceful. 
 
¶5. (SBU) After the meeting, Horta met with General Taur Matan 
Ruak (TMR) to confirm that he agreed with these measures and to 
ask him to restate publicly that there would be no military 
operations whatsoever against Reinado and his group. General 
Ruak, said Horta, readily agreed. Separately, National Police 
Chief Paulo Martins confirmed that his men have been instructed 
to not attempt to arrest Reinado at this time. 
 
Petitioners 
----------- 
¶6. (SBU) According to Minister Horta, Salsinha has again 
formally rejected the use of violence and renewed his pledge to 
cooperate fully with the commission led by Minister for State 
Administration Ana Pessoa to evaluate the group's grievances. As 
a show of good faith, Salsihna reportedly told Horta that he 
would have 50 of his men present themselves in Maliana this week 
to be interviewed by commission members. (Note: Please see Dili 
233 for an update on Salsinha's recalcitrance in cooperating 
with the Government-led commission.) 
 
Investigation into May 28 
------------------------- 
 
DILI 00000236  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) The government has completed its investigation into the 
events on May 28 and concluded that there is no evidence that 
more than 5 deaths occurred as a result of military operations 
in Tasitolu. Despite this, said Horta, many people refuse to 
accept the results because the investigation was carried out by 
the government. 
 
¶8. (SBU) To remedy this, Horta said that he has requested the 
Office of the UN Commission for Human Rights conduct a formal 
investigation and issue a public report. The body agreed, said 
Horta, but is not able to begin the investigation until early 
August - too late to help ease the current tensions. Horta said 
that the government is exploring other options to conclude the 
investigation more quickly, including the possibility of 
requesting assistance from the International Commission of 
Jurists, Judge Philip Rapoza (an American judge from 
Massachusetts who previously served as the President of the 
Special Panels for Serious Criems), and elsewhere. UNOTIL is 
also planning to carry out an investigation. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment: Despite the recent progress in bringing the 
dissident military groups back to the table, the situation is 
far from resolved.  Two armed groups and numerous individual 
police are still AWOL in the mountains outside Dili, and 
although dialogue has been restored, there does not appear to be 
any progress in getting these groups to return to the capital. 
Moreover, several sources have expressed concern over the 
commission led by Minister Ana Pessoa as too little too late. In 
addition, dissident groups state that the current government 
(read: Alkatiri government) lacks the credibility needed to 
resolve the crisis. So long as they hold this position, it is 
unlikely that there will be meaningful negotiations before the 
outcome of the FRETILIN Congress is known. End Comment. 
STEIN