VZCZCXRO0968
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHHM
DE RUEHDT #0006/01 0140714
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140714Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY DILI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3807
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1012
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 0998
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 1105
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0892
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 3221

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DILI 000006 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MTS 
PACOM FOR POLADS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV MARR MASS ID TT
SUBJECT: THE RAMOS-HORTA ROAD SHOW -- BRINGING THE STATE TO THE 
PEOPLE 
 
DILI 00000006  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
----------- 
 
Summary 
 
----------- 
 
¶1. (U)  On January 7 - 9, PolOff accompanied President Jose 
Ramos-Horta on a government goodwill mission to two remote 
eastern towns to build support for his Anti-Poverty Task Force 
and outline the government's top priorities for 2008: 
resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs), reaching a 
settlement with dissident members of the Armed Forces (F-FDTL), 
and reining in military renegade Major Alfredo Reinado. 
Ramos-Horta was warmly received in Baguia, a former resistance 
stronghold, but enjoyed only a lukewarm greeting in Quelicai. 
Ramos-Horta promised infrastructure and service improvements, 
held marathon-length community dialogues, and provided sports 
equipment to the towns.   Beyond from his goodwill outreach, 
Ramos-Horta is traveling to districts to regain legitimacy 
eroded during the 2006 crisis and build support for the 
government's efforts to address security concerns.  Reasserting 
himself as the national mediator, Ramos-Horta is appealing to 
shared Timorese identity to overcome persisting ethnic and 
political divisions.  At a stop at a former Indonesian Air Force 
base, Ramos-Horta told PolOff that while there should be 
accountability for Indonesian human rights violations during the 
occupation, the U.S. should immediately normalize military ties 
to Indonesia.  End Summary. 
 
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Thirty-Plus SUV Convoy into the Mountains 
 
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¶2. (U) Escorted by Timorese and UN police, President Jose 
Ramos-Horta led a 30-vehicle strong SUV convoy on January 7-9 to 
eastern Baucau district, accompanied by the Minister of Health, 
a State Secretary from the Ministry of Education, the Commander 
of the F-FDTL,  three parliamentarians, local officials, 
advisors, diplomats, and his son Loro.  After a five-hour plus 
journey, the Presidential entourage finally arrived in Baguia, a 
resistance stronghold during the Indonesian occupation. 
Although the applause was at times prompted by a Presidential 
aide, Baguia residents received Ramos-Horta warmly.  Commander 
of the Defense Forces Taur Matan Ruak, who spent several years 
in the mountains surrounding Baguia during the resistance, 
recalled that over 140,000 Timorese sought refuge in the nearby 
mountains. 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
Ask and You Shall Receive 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) President Ramos-Horta engaged in multiple, 
marathon-length dialogues, including a centerpiece three-hour 
community-wide dialogue with 1,500 - 2,000 residents.  After 
listening to requests from village heads, Ramos-Horta delivered 
a one-hour response in which he underscored the government's 
2008 priorities and he promised resources for public services, 
including. health clinics and  schools..  Ramos-Horta 
highlighted his Anti-Poverty Task Force, designed to implement 
"quick-fix" projects.  He promised 100 tables and chairs for the 
local school within a month.  In response to a petition 
presented by a community member, Ramos-Horta made an immediate 
commitment of $10,000 for health clinic improvements. 
 
¶4. (U) Ramos-Horta also presented his political and security 
agenda.  He spelled  out his top priorities: re-integrating 
persons displaced by last year's crisis; reaching a settlement 
with a disgruntled faction of the armed forces known as "the 
petitioners;" and reining in the fugitive former head of the 
military police, Maj. Alfredo Reinado.  Refuting a charge by the 
opposition FRETILIN party, Ramos-Horta explained the 
constitutional basis for forming the current governing coalition 
formation, and he repeatedly called for national reconciliation 
through dialogue.  Responding to a hostile question, Ramos-Horta 
described Alfredo as an "individual victim" of the 2006 crisis, 
adding, "we are all victims of the 2006 crisis."  In side 
comments to PolOff later, Ramos-Horta said that Reinado would 
 
DILI 00000006  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
likely need a form of amnesty, but this would be addressed only 
after resolution of the petitioners' issue.  Ramos-Horta added 
that he regarded the Alfredo case as easier to solve than that 
of the petitioners. 
 
¶5. (U)  In a town where houses were burned during the 2006 
crisis, Ramos-Horta underscored the importance of addressing 
national-level security concerns immediately.  After the 
community dialogue, Ramos gave sports equipment to the 
community, tossed up the opening ball in a volleyball match (in 
which diplomats participated), and met with village heads for 
three hours. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
Lukewarm Reception in FRETILIN Stronghold 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) After completing its program at Baguia, the party 
continued to Quelicai.  Presidential advisors confided that 
security conditions in Quelicai were more uncertain than Baguia, 
and that they had considered canceling the stop, as they had a 
proposed visit to Viqueque a few weeks ago.  With an additional 
12-15 UN police in riot gear, Ramos-Horta was greeted by over 
1,000 community members.  While not overtly hostile, the crowd 
was noticeably less welcoming and smaller than in Baguia, even 
though Quelicai is twice as large.  Loro Ramos-Horta, the 
President's son and informal advisor, contrasted this lukewarm 
reception with the hero's welcome that Ramos-Horta and Gusmao 
received there in 2002 and 2003.  The President enjoys these 
district trips, Loro said,  but also uses them to reassert his 
legitimacy in the wake of the 2006 crisis and establish himself 
as a national leader after his many years abroad. 
 
¶7. (U) At the town hall dialogue, village heads raised 
community-level concerns such as roads, electricity, health, and 
water.  They also raised national-level issues, including 
reparations for victims of  violence in the 2006 crisis, the 
Reinado case; and the constitutionality of governing coalition. 
After sporting events and small group question and answer 
sessions, Ramos-Horta met with village heads (about 99 percent 
male) for three hours.  Ramos-Horta stayed on message: 
highlighting the Anti-Poverty Task Force and calling for 
reconciliation as a principle to addressing security and 
political grievances.  Ramos-Horta made considerably fewer 
promises for development projects in Quelicai than in Baguia. 
 
¶8. (SBU) FRETILIN's influence in Quelicai was apparent.  Echoing 
a FRETILIN grievance, a village head questioned the 
constitutionality of the President's formation of the current 
governing coalition.  Ramos-Horta defended the constitutionality 
of the governing coalition and called for cooperation with 
FRETILIN,   Ramos-Horta told the crowds that he has received 
FRETILIN's agreement to work together to solve the government's 
top three priorities of IDPs, petitioners, and Alfredo.  A 
village head questioned why the President brought F-FDTL leaders 
on these district trips.  Ramos-Horta portrayed F-FDTL's 
participation as a show of unity between political and military 
leaders, also drawing the comparison of American presidents 
traveling with military leaders. 
 
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------------------------- 
 
Ramos-Horta Urges Normalization Of U.S. - Indonesian Military 
Ties 
 
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-------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU)  On the way back to Dili, Ramos-Horta stopped at F-FDTL 
Battalion I HQ near Baucau, a former Indonesian Air Force base 
during the occupation.  In a side conversation, Ramos-Horta 
noted to PolOff that U.S.-manufactured aircraft had been based 
there during the occupation.  However, he went on to express 
unequivocal support for a full normalization of the Indonesia - 
U.S. mil-mil relationship, specifically encouraging us to extend 
basic training, human rights training, arms sales - he made no 
caveats or exceptions.  Regarding human rights violations 
committed in Timor-Leste by Indonesian security forces, 
Ramos-Horta said, "For Timor, it is the past."  When asked about 
 
DILI 00000006  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
cases where there was evidence of specific individuals involved 
in specific human rights violations, Ramos-Horta responded, 
"Well, if there is a direct connection, there should be 
accountability."   Ramos-Horta added that if the U.S. did not 
sell weapons to Indonesia, someone else would.  The President 
said that he has conveyed this message to his friends in 
Congress. 
 
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The Church as "Nation-Builder". . . 
 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (U) The Catholic Church functioned as the physical and 
symbolic center for the Baguia and Quelicai visits.  At both 
stops, Ramos-Horta was greeted by the missionary priests, who 
would sit directly next to Ramos-Horta during community 
dialogues.  The churches were the most prominent community 
buildings and both housed orphanages for 30-40 young children. 
In Quelicai, the Portuguese priest had served there for 50 years 
and just completed a $1 million building project. 
 
¶11. (U) In conversation with PolOff, Ramos-Horta commented that 
nation-building and state-building must occur simultaneously in 
Timor-Leste.  Since 90 to 95 percent of Timorese are Catholic, 
the Church provides a unifying force for the Timor's sixteen 
ethno-linguistic groups, according to Ramos-Horta.  In divided 
communities, the Catholic Church occupies a neutral role.  As 
the Filipino priest in Baguia said, "I knew these guys 
(resistance leaders) when they were in the mountains during the 
Indonesian occupation." 
 
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. . . And The Government and Armed Forces as "State-Builder" 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
---------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU)  Ramos-Horta also stressed to PolOff that his visits 
to the districts were meant to make the responsiveness of the 
state a reality in these isolated areas.  During community 
dialogues, Ramos-Horta repeatedly referred to  "el sentido del 
estado," the sense of state.  The Anti-Poverty Task Force 
represents an immediate, quick-impact program for the government 
to provide better public services to communities.  Ramos-Horta 
pledged to work on improving roads, education, health care, 
electricity, water and sanitation, and other public services. 
Ramos-Horta also vowed to address national-level political and 
security issues - IDPs, petitioners, and Alfredo Reinado. 
Visits to Battalion headquarters and the presence of F-FDTL in 
the delegation highlighted the critical role Ramos-Horta places 
on the armed forces within state-building.  As he is attempting 
to build personal legitimacy through these district visits, 
Ramos-Horta is also trying to establish the legitimacy of the 
government as well. 
 
¶13. (U) This report was prepared by TDY Political Officer Scott 
Kofmehl. 
KLEMM