VZCZCXRO3337
PP RUEHPB
DE RUEHDT #0173/01 1221446
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021446Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY DILI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3485
INFO RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 2848
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0937
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0996
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 0887
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0682
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0738
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0822
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0535
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0130

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DILI 000173 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, DRL 
USUN FOR RICHARD MCCURRY 
TOKYO FOR HANS KLEMM 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM TT
SUBJECT: RESISTANCE ALUMNI TURN OUT FOR CNRT'S FIRST NATIONAL 
CONGRESS 
 
REF: DILI 491 
 
DILI 00000173  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: The National Congress for Timorese 
Reconstruction (CNRT) held its first national congress April 
28-30, under the slogan "The land has been liberated, it's time 
to liberate the people!"  Delegates elected President Xanana 
Gusmao as the party president and Dionisio Babo Soares as its 
secretary general.  Congress delegates were dominated by 
 
SIPDIS 
representatives of the former CNRT, the National Congress for 
Timorese Resistance, the non-partisan umbrella organization for 
East Timor's independence led by Gusmao until its dissolution in 
2001, but there was also a large youth component.  The elected 
leadership, with the exception of Soares, are all members of the 
older resistance generation.  Until he steps down from his 
national position, Gusmao will not formally take over leadership 
of the party, leaving it nominally in the hands of one of the 
party's vice presidents.  A key decision finalized at the 
congress was that CNRT would not enter into any coalition with 
other opposition parties for the purpose of the June 30 
elections, despite serious discussions on this option in the 
weeks preceding.  CNRT's relationship with the rest of the 
opposition remains a work in progress, with some unity emerging 
around their joint support of Jose Ramos-Horta's presidential 
bid, but resentment lingering regarding Gusmao's choice to 
establish his own party rather than support the existing 
opposition.  The party has no detailed platform at this stage, 
but has established a commission tasked with working on future 
governance and policy issues.  Both Gusmao and Ramos-Horta 
addressed the congress in their capacities as President and 
Prime Minister respectively, emphasizing national unity and the 
need for all parties to work together toward common national 
goals.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) The National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT) 
held its first national congress April 28-30.  There were a 
total of 800 delegates with the right to vote, 734 from the 
districts and 66 national delegates.  Elections were conducted 
by secret ballot, with the votes counted in the presence of all 
delegates.  Two lists competed for the vote, both with President 
Xanana Gusmao at the top as party president, but with separate 
sets of names for the remaining leadership positions.  However, 
the second list was regarded as mostly symbolic as the 
overwhelming number of votes went to "List A".  This list 
included Dionisio Babo Soares as Secretary General.  Soares, who 
is the Timorese co-chair of the Indonesian-East Timor bilateral 
Truth and Friendship Commission as well as Jose Ramos-Horta's 
campaign manager for the current presidential race, has already 
been serving as CNRT Secretary General, having taken on this 
position provisionally when the party was formally established 
last month.  Other than Soares, the rest of the party leadership 
are all members of the older resistance generation, and despite 
the involvement of a number of women in the party's 
organization, are also all men.  This includes: Antsnio Costa 
"Mau Hunu", Vice-President I; Eduardo Barreto "Dusae", 
Vice-President II; Virgilio Margal, Vice-President III; and 
Virgilio Smith "Kranek", Vice-President IV.  Pending Gusmao 
stepping down from the presidency, Mau Hunu is the acting party 
president.  As soon as Gusmao is out of office, the party will 
hold an extraordinary meeting in order to officially install him 
as its leader. 
 
¶3. (U) The party delegates from the districts comprised 
primarily former representatives of the first CNRT (National 
Congress for Timorese Resistance), the non-partisan umbrella 
organization of the resistance led by Gusmao until its 
dissolution in 2001.  There were also a large number of youth, 
most of whom appeared to have no previous party affiliation. 
Embassy staff also noticed a number of lower level former 
Fretilin party officials, primarily suco chiefs who campaigned 
for Fretilin as recently as the 2005 local elections.  (Members 
of Fretilin's internal opposition, the Mudansa group, were 
present to observe but not as delegates.)  There were also a 
number of individuals of interest among the delegates, 
including: the former National Police Commissioner, a Member of 
Parliament formerly of the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT); and 
 
DILI 00000173  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
some members of the Democratic Party (PD). 
 
No coalition for CNRT 
--------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) An important decision made by the congress delegates 
was that CNRT would run alone in the parliamentary elections, 
putting the nail in the coffin of any coalition discussions. 
This decision was supported by delegates from 11 of the 13 
districts.  In the weeks previous to the congress, discussions 
had taken place concerning potential coalition combinations 
among CNRT, PD, PSD and ASDT.  In the end, only ASDT and PSD 
signed an agreement to run together.  They had hoped to have 
CNRT on board, but ultimately moved ahead with their own 
coalition agreement before the CNRT decision in light of the May 
1 deadline for registering coalitions.  There is still a 
question of how relationships with other opposition parties 
shape up as even without a coalition, coordinated and mutually 
supporting campaigns are still possible.  CNRT's relationships 
with other opposition parties have been strained from the 
beginning, as key opposition leaders have resented Gusmao's 
decision to form his own party rather than throw his support 
behind theirs.  Nonetheless, the other opposition parties have 
begun to deal with CNRT as a reality and possible ally rather 
than an idea to which they object.  Most notably, the leadership 
of the largest opposition party, PD, has moved from being 
hostile to CNRT (in part due to the fact that Gusmao recruited 
from its own rank and file to support his new party) to engaging 
in ongoing dialogue.  PD's Secretary General, Mariano Sabino, 
attended the CRNT congress' closing session. 
 
Platform developing 
------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) CNRT has no detailed platform at this stage, but 
according to decisions taken at the congress, will focus its 
campaign message on: national unity, stability, 
de-centralization of power, and international relations 
prioritizing Australia and Indonesia, with the importance of 
Portugal maintained due to historical ties and its role as a 
gateway to the European Union.  (Good relations with the US, 
China and Japan were also mentioned as important.)  In addition, 
the congress established a working commission tasked with 
working on future governance and policy issues.  This commission 
is to set up technical groups to focus on the following priority 
areas: administrative reform in the government; administrative 
division of the country and local power; social and economic 
development of the country; reform of the judicial sector; 
revision of the financial and tax system; reform of the national 
parliament to increase its ability to act as a check on the 
government and revise laws; natural resources management; policy 
on national and foreign investment; and policy on assistance to 
veterans, old and vulnerable people. 
 
Jose Ramos-Horta appears 
------------------------ 
 
¶6. (U) Prime Minister and presidential candidate Jose 
Ramos-Horta attended the opening ceremony, where he was 
enthusiastically welcomed and taken to the stage to make a 
speech.  He appealed to national unity and reminded the audience 
to remember people like Mario Carrascalao (president of the 
opposition Social Democrat Party - PSD), who as governor under 
the Indonesian occupation "saved many people".  He told the 
participants he was there with a message of hope, "hope in a 
Timor-Leste more inclusive, hope that we'll be able to overcome 
this crisis as long as all of us can be more tolerant and 
humble".  Ramos Horta stressed that he was not there as a 
supporter of the party but as a supporter of the development of 
a "democratic process" and said that he wanted to pass the 
message that "CNRT wasn't created to combat Fretilin as a party, 
but for the combat of ideas and alternatives for the country". 
He went on to say that, "Everything indicates that CNRT will be 
an important political power that can create a healthy balance 
 
DILI 00000173  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
with Fretilin and the other political parties," and that 
"President Xanana wants to form a Government of national unity 
and of course he will also use some cadres from Fretilin... 
Fretilin has good and valid elements". 
 
Xanana Gusmao speaks 
-------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) President Xanana Gusmao stayed away from the congress for 
the first two days, but arrived late in the third day to observe 
the voting process and attend the closing ceremony in his 
capacity as the nation's president.  He delivered one of his 
long and pedagogic speeches, going back to 1974 when the 
creation of political parties was first allowed in East Timor, 
following the Carnation Revolution in Portugal.  He noted how 
this development transformed people's behavior and ways of 
thinking, making old friends become enemies because they were in 
different political parties. Comparing the situation of 
intolerance and violence in 1975 to the present, he expressed 
the need to change this approach to political competition and 
appealed for an end of violence, for tolerance, and for 
political parties to work together, stressing the fact that two 
people being in different parties should not make them enemies. 
 
¶8. (SBU) CNRT banners that appeared around Dili several days 
ahead of the congress were prominently displayed at the 
congress, and strongly link the old resistance network CNRT with 
the new political party CNRT and clearly associate it with 
Gusmao himself.  The banners show side-by-side the old and new 
CNRT flags, which are notably similar.  Next to the old flag is 
a photo of Gusmao in his FALANTIL (resistance fighter) uniform; 
next to the new flag is a photo of Gusmao as President.  The 
slogan of the party is "The land has been liberated, it's time 
to liberate the people!"  Fretilin has publicly announced its 
intent to legally challenge the use of the CNRT moniker in light 
of its strong national historical association and has 
consistently accused Gusmao of abusing his office by associating 
himself with a political party.  However, to date we are unaware 
of any specific legal action being taken by Fretilin. 
NAGY