East Timor prime minister resigns

Asia-Pacific News

East Timor prime minister resigns

Sydney, June 26 (DPA) Mari Alkatiri's resignation as East Timor's prime minister Monday sparked hopes that the political unrest that has cost dozens of lives and sent tens of thousands to makeshift refugee camps may be drawing to a close.

'I am ready to resign my position of prime minister,' Alkatiri told reporters. 'In the interests of our nation, I assume my part of the responsibility for the crisis affecting our country,' he was quoted as saying by Australia's ABC Radio from Dili, the East Timor capital.

He added: 'I am determined not to contribute to any deepening of the crisis.'

But many believe that over recent weeks it has been Alkatiri's stubborn refusal to go that has stoked the worst violence since independence from Indonesia in 2002.

Alkatiri's announcement came less than 24 hours after he was reaffirmed as leader of the ruling Fretilin Party - an endorsement that drew the resignation of Jose Ramos Horta, who was serving in the cabinet as both foreign minister and defence minister.

Fretilin holds 55 of the 88 seats in parliament.

Contributing to Alkatiri's decision was, perhaps, Australia's threat to withdraw troops unless the tiny nation sorted out its leadership line up.

Australia has 1,300 troops in the half-island to its north, serving alongside contingents from Malaysia, New Zealand and Portugal. The foreign troops were drafted in last month to curb violence in the streets after law and order broke down.

'We want to reduce those numbers as quickly as we can,' Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Monday. 'And, therefore, we look to them to sort out their political problems as quickly as possible so that we can downgrade the level of our assistance.'

The tiny nation's troubles began in March when Alkatiri sacked 600 soldiers from western districts who went on strike claiming they had been passed over for promotion in favour of servicemen from the east. The rebel soldiers, who are loyal to Gusmao, have been joined by renegade elements in the police force, who are also clamouring for the exit of Alkatiri.

The violence mirrors the upheaval that followed the UN-supervised independence referendum in 1999 that ended 24 years of Indonesian occupation. East Timor, which became independent in 2002, was a Portuguese colony for 400 years before Jakarta sent in troops in 1975.

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East Timor prime minister resigns