VZCZCXRO1516
PP RUEHCHI RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHDT #0284/01 2890550
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 160550Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY DILI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4577
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1338
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 1072
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 4126

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000284 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KAWC ID TT
SUBJECT: GOTL DEFENDS BERE RELEASE IN PARLIAMENT DEBATE, SURVIVES 
NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE 
 
REF: DILI 231, DILI 233, DILI 254 
 
DILI 00000284  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: The decision to release indicted war criminal 
Martenus Bere on August 30 continues to roil Timorese politics. 
Under pressure from the opposition parties in parliament, the 
governing coalition acceded to demands for a parliamentary 
debate and no-confidence vote on October 12.  Prime Minister 
Xanana Gusmao and his senior ministers made an extended 
appearance in the parliament and responded to aggressive 
questioning from the opposition parliamentarians in a session 
that lasted more than twelve hours and was broadcast live across 
the country.  Although the governing coalition defeated the 
no-confidence measure, the opposition scored political points in 
forcing the PM to account for his actions and by successfully 
highlighting the potential illegality of the August 30 decision. 
 Nevertheless, the debate signaled the growing maturity of 
Timor-Leste's democratic institutions.  Instead of spilling out 
into the streets, the greatest constitutional challenge since 
2006 was deliberated with great thoroughness by the national 
parliament.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
¶2.  (U) After stalling on an opposition request until after the 
October 9 local elections, the governing Alliance Majority Party 
(AMP) agreed to an October 12 parliamentary debate and a 
no-confidence vote on the August 30 decision to release indicted 
war criminal Martenus Bere under Indonesian pressure (see 
reftels).  Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and his senior ministers 
made a rare appearance in the parliament to defend their 
decision.  The debate and subsequent no-confidence vote lasted 
the entire day and well into the night, and was broadcast on 
national television and radio. 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) After the initial interventions by the representatives of 
the two opposition parties, PM Gusmao gave a long, impassioned 
defense of his decision to release Bere, ignoring the protests 
when he exceeded his allotted time.  PM Gusmao defended the 
decision on the grounds of national interest, arguing that 
Indonesia is a critical partner and neighbor which accounts for 
75 percent of Timorese trade, hosts eight thousand Timorese 
university students, strongly supports Timor-Leste's accession 
to ASEAN, and with which Timor-Leste has major unresolved border 
disputes.  On the question of justice, PM Gusmao denied 
suggestions that the governing coalition had abandoned the 
principle of justice and categorically declared that it would 
not present a general amnesty bill to the parliament.  None of 
the parties in the governing coalition, he stated, were involved 
in the atrocities dating back to 1974, implying instead that it 
is the opposition Fretilin party itself that stands to gain from 
an amnesty. (Note: By focusing on the political parties, PM 
Gusmao sidestepped the question of individual responsibility, a 
difficult issue that he has highlighted privately.) 
 
 
 
¶4.  (U) In recounting the events that led to Bere's release, PM 
Gusmao suggested that his detention and arrest by the Suai 
district court may have violated a 2000 United Nations rule that 
established courts with special jurisdiction for serious crimes 
(Note: Opposition MPs challenged this interpretation, however, 
in the subsequent debate).  PM Gusmao also revealed that the 
Indonesian request that the GOTL release Bere was initiated on 
August 26 and not on the morning of August 30 as had been widely 
believed.  When no legal solution could be found, however, and 
Indonesia ratcheted up the pressure on August 30, PM Gusmao 
admitted that he ordered the Minister of Justice to have Bere 
released. 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) After a long and sometimes heated debate, the AMP 
coalition defeated the no-confidence measure by a vote of 39 to 
¶25.  Despite surviving the vote, however, the GOTL did not 
emerge unscathed. The debate left no opening for a final 
solution to the unresolved Bere case with the major opposition 
party Fretilin insisting that any solution be in accordance with 
Timorese laws and announcing their intention to appeal the case 
to the Court of Appeals.  The mere fact, moreover, that the 
Prime Minister - who remains a national hero and symbol of the 
Timorese resistance - was forced to publicly defend his decision 
and respond to vocal criticism from the opposition can probably 
be considered a minor victory for the opposition. 
 
 
 
DILI 00000284  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) More broadly, however, the debate in parliament can be 
seen as a major step forward for Timor-Leste's democratic 
institutions, particularly the parliament itself.  Instead of 
spilling out into the streets, arguably the most serious 
challenge to constitutional order since 2006 was deliberated by 
the people's representatives in full accordance with 
parliamentary procedure.  President Ramos-Horta described the 
debate as a victory for Timorese democracy. 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Meanwhile, Bere remains holed up in the Indonesian 
Embassy in Dili.  Bilateral negotiations to formulate a transfer 
to Indonesia remain bogged down.  Next steps include a possible 
investigation into Bere's release by the Timorese Court of 
Appeals and a possible appeal to the Court by Fretilin regarding 
the constitutionality of the PM's August 30 decision to release 
Bere. 
KLEMM