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DE RUEHDT #0368/01 1981209
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P 171209Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY DILI
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 DILI 000368 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS 
PACOM FOR POLAD AND JOC 
NSC FOR HOLLY MORROW 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV TT
SUBJECT: PRIME MINISTER RAMOS-HORTA ANNOUNCES NEW GOVERNMENT 
 
DILI 00000368  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta on Friday, 
July 14, announced the composition of the government over which 
he will preside.  The new government resembles the previous one 
led by ex-Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri in most respects, with a 
few notable changes.  The majority of ministers, vice ministers 
and secretaries of state remain in their positions and, despite 
his stated intent to dramatically reduce the size of the 
cabinet, there were no significant cuts.  The most important 
addition to the new government, and a victory for Ramos-Horta 
vis-`-vis Fretilin, was the appointment of Jose Luis Guterres as 
Minister of Foreign Affairs, who will leave his posting as East 
Timor's Ambassador to the United Nations to take over this 
portfolio. Additional changes include: the elevation of Jose 
Teixeira to Minister of Natural Resources, Petroleum and Energy 
Policy, previously held by Alkatiri, and the replacement of the 
education and transportation ministers.  Although most of the 
cabinet's composition was not controversial, there were several 
indications of the tensions between Ramos-Horta's and Fretilin's 
priorities.  He successfully overrode the party's objections to 
Guterres' appointment, but two important vice minister 
positions---in the interior and justice ministries---remain 
vacant due to disagreements about the candidates.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta unveiled the new 
government in a ceremony at the President's office on July 14. 
The announcement held few surprises as he had previously made it 
known that there would be no significant reshuffling.  He has on 
several occasions stated his intent to cut the size of the 
cabinet by as much as half, possibly by reducing the number of 
secretary of state positions.  However, the newly-announced 
 
SIPDIS 
cabinet is only down by one vice minister position, leaving a 
total membership of 37, including 15 ministers, 12 vice 
ministers 10 secretaries of state. 
 
Ambassador Guterres takes over foreign affairs, Ramos-Horta 
retains defense 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
---------------- 
¶3. (SBU) Jose Luis Guterres, who has for the past few years 
served as East Timor's Ambassador to the United Nations and the 
U.S., will return to take over the foreign affairs portfolio 
from Ramos-Horta.  Guterres' appointment represents a victory 
for Ramos-Horta as Fretilin initially resisted the idea and 
pushed for Hernani Coelho, the Ambassador to Australia. 
Guterres, a founding member of Fretilin, is associated with the 
anti-Alkatiri reform group within the party and campaigned to 
unseat Alkatiri as the party's Secretary General at the party 
congress in May.  Many observers are convinced that he would 
have been successful if the voting had been done via secret 
ballot as originally planned.  In a conversation with Ambassador 
Rees immediately following the swearing in ceremony, Ramos-Horta 
expressed his hope that once back in country for the long term, 
Guterres will be well positioned to promote reform within 
Fretilin.  Noting that Guterres had had only two weeks to 
campaign before the May congress, Ramos-Horta expressed his hope 
that he might now be able to assume the leadership and "make the 
party more liberal, more open minded." (Note: Although the 
Fretilin has not scheduled an extraordinary congress to re-do 
the leadership election, the reform group continues to push for 
this and has reportedly filed its case arguing that the current 
leadership was illegally elected.  Current party leadership has 
indicated that they would agree to another congress only if the 
courts rule against them. End note.) 
 
¶4. (U) Ramos-Horta will remain Minister of Defense while also 
serving as Prime Minister.  There were rumors earlier in the 
week that the portfolio might be shifted to the commander of the 
armed forces, Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak.  However, 
Ramos-Horta had made his desire to retain the defense portfolio 
clear over recent weeks and does not appear to have been 
challenged on this. 
 
New ministers fill vacancies due to recent resignations 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
DILI 00000368  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) Three ministries remained vacant at the top in the wake 
of the various recent resignations, including the Ministry for 
Natural Resources Petroleum and Energy Policy, the Ministry of 
Education and Culture, and the Ministry of Transportation and 
Communications.  The Natural resources portfolio was previously 
held by Alkatiri, but his resignation from the position became 
effective simultaneously with his resignation as Prime Minister. 
 The education and transportation ministers both resigned 
shortly before Alkatiri stepped down and Ramos-Horta decided not 
to ask either of them to return, citing them both as "weak" 
ministers. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Taking Alkatiri's place as the Minister of Natural 
Resources is Jose Teixeira, who has been elevated from the Vice 
Minister position.  Teixeira, though not a member of Fretilin, 
has been a strong Alkatiri ally and had previously stated in 
conversations with Emboffs his intent to resign immediately if 
Alkatiri was pushed out.  Teixeira was educated in Australia and 
holds dual Australian and Timorese citizenship.  The new 
Minister of Education is Rosalia Corte-Real, who has also been 
elevated from Vice Minister.  Corte-Real is the former Vice 
Minister of Education for Primary and Secondary Education and 
one of 15 members of Fretilin's National Political Committee. 
Filling the position of Minister of Transportation is Inacio 
Moreira.  Moreira, who has previously been considered for a 
position in the Ministry of Education, will leave his position 
as the Director of the Faculty of Engineering at the National 
University of Timor-Leste to take up his new position. 
 
Vacancies remain, revealing outstanding disagreements 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
¶7. (SBU) Several vacancies remain in the cabinet at the vice 
minister level.  Some of these vacancies were inherited from the 
previous cabinet, but two important ones in the interior and 
justice ministries respectively remain unfilled despite 
Ramos-Horta presenting candidates he strongly supports.  He put 
forward Olandina Alves, a former commissioner on the domestic 
Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) and 
currently an alternate on the bilateral Truth and Friendship 
Commission (TFC) as Vice Minister of Interior, noting to Emboffs 
that she would serve as a strong advocate on human rights issues 
within the ministry.  However, he reported to Ambassador Rees 
that Fretilin argued against her claiming that she does not show 
up at meetings, but in his view "because she's independent." 
(Note: Ramos-Horta is well aware that the national police, which 
fall under the Ministry of Interior, have been the most 
prominent source of human rights violations reported in the 
annual Human Rights Report and other public reports.  End note.) 
 For the position of Vice Minister of Justice, Ramos-Horta 
wanted to bring on Isabela Feireira, a human rights lawyer who 
served as Alkatiri's advisor on human rights but was apparently 
blocked by Fretilin on this appointment as well. 
 
List of members of the Ramos-Horta's cabinet 
-------------------------------------------- 
¶8. (U) Below is a complete list of the new cabinet: 
 
MINISTERS 
-- Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Luis 
Guterres (replacing Jose Ramos-Horta) 
-- Minister for Planning and Finances, Madalena Brites Boavida 
(incumbent) 
-- Minister for State Administration, Ana Pessoa (incumbent) 
-- Minister for Defence, Josi Ramos-Horta (incumbent, replaced 
Roque Rodrigues in June) 
-- Minister for the Interior, Alcino Barris (incumbent, replaced 
Rogerio Lobato in June) 
-- Minister for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, 
Antoninho Bianco (incumbent) 
-- Minister for Transport and Communications, Inacio Moreira 
(replacing Ovidio Amaral) 
-- Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries, Estanislau 
da Silva (incumbent) 
-- Minister for Education and Culture, Rosalia Corte-Real 
 
DILI 00000368  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
(elevated from Vice Minister, replacing Armindo Maia) 
-- Minister for Health, Rui Maria de Arazjo (incumbent) 
-- Minister Labour and Community Reinsertion, Arsinio Paixco 
Bano (incumbent) 
-- Minister for Justice, Domingos Sarmento (incumbent) 
-- Minister for Development, Arcanjo da Silva (incumbent, 
replaced Abel Ximenes in June) 
-- Minister for Public Works, Odete Victor (incumbent) 
-- Minister for Natural Resources, Minerals and Energy Policy, 
Josi Teixeira (elevated from Vice Minister, replacing Mari 
Alkatiri) 
 
VICE MINISTERS 
-- VM for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Adalgiza Magno 
(incumbent) 
-- VM for Planning and Finances, Aicha Bassarewa (incumbent) 
-- VM for State Administration, Valentim Ximenes (incumbent) 
-- VM for State Administration, Filomeno Aleixo (new, replacing 
Ilda Conceicao) 
-- VM for Interior, TBA (previously held by Alcino Barris who is 
now Minister) 
-- VM for Transport and Communications, TBA (vacant in previous 
cabinet) 
-- VM for Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries, Francisco Tilman 
Benevides (incumbent) 
-- VM for Education for Technical and Superior Education, TBA 
(vacant in previous cabinet) 
-- VM for Primary and Secondary Education, Ilda da Conceigco 
(moved from State Administration, replacing Corte-Real who is 
now Minister) 
-- VM for Health, Luis Lobato (incumbent) 
-- VM for Justice, TBA (previously held by Manuel Abrantes) 
-- VM for Public Works, Raul Mousaco (incumbent) 
-- VM for Development, Antsnio Cepeda (replacing Arcanjo da 
Silva who is now Minister) 
 
SECRETARIES OF STATE 
 
SIPDIS 
-- Sec. of State for the Council of Ministers, Gregsrio de Sousa 
(incumbent) 
-- Sec. of State for the Environmental, Ordination of the 
Territory Coordination, Joco Batista Alves (incumbent) 
-- Sec.of State for Youth and Sport, Josi Manuel Fernandes 
(incumbent) 
-- Sec. of State for Culture, TBA (vacant in previous cabinet) 
-- Sec. of State for Veterans'and Former Combatants Affairs, 
David Ximenes (incumbent) 
 
SECRETARIES OF STATE FOR THE REGIONS 
 
SIPDIS 
Sec. of State for the Coordination of Region I, Josi Reis 
(incumbent) 
Sec. of State for the Coordination of Region II, Adriano 
Corte-Real (replacing Virgilio Simith) 
Sec. of State for the Coordination of Region III, TBA 
(previously held by Egidio de Jesus) 
Sec. of State for the Coordination of Region IV, Lino Torrezco 
(replacing Cesar da Cruz) 
Sec. of State resident in Oe-Cusse, Albano Salem (incumbent) 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶9. (SBU) This new cabinet reveals some of the power dynamics 
occurring behind the scenes between Ramos-Horta and Fretilin. 
In his recent conversation with Ambassador Rees Ramos-Horta 
stated that if it had been up to him, he would have made more 
changes, but that Fretilin remains in control of cabinet 
appointments.  However, the fact the Ramos-Horta was able to 
bring Guterres on board as Minister of Foreign Affairs 
demonstrates that he can get his way on key issues as long as he 
chooses his battles carefully.  It is likely that he did not 
push hard on the issue of the vacant vice minister positions in 
favor of focusing on the foreign affairs portfolio.  Another 
interesting aspect of the new cabinet is the fact that all the 
key Alkatiri allies have remained on board (e.g. Estanislau da 
Silva and Anna Pessoa) despite statements in previous 
 
DILI 00000368  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
conversations that they would resign from their positions if 
Alkatiri were pushed out.  Whether this indicates the extent to 
which Alkatiri is still wielding power through party mechanisms 
or the extent to which Ramos-Horta has begun to co-opt them 
remains to be seen.  End comment. 
DICKEY