disarm all civilian groups that have guns

suspend demonstrations

stop all types of violence

give political support to the government to carry out all institutional activities to guarantee that the 2007 elections take place.

Allegations rejected

Fretilin also rejected allegations that guns had been distributed to delegates at its Congress or were given to other Fretilin members.

In a bizarre attempt to pressure and bring down the democratically elected Fretilin Government of East Timor, President Xanana Gusmão offered his own resignation as President. Once a highly regarded fighter for the independence of East Timor against Indonesian invasion and occupation, Xanana Gusmão has reduced himself by this pathetic manoeuvre that smacks of political blackmail. Gusmão is no Nelson Mandela and would seem to have few of his political capabilities and principles.

It appears that Xanana Gusmão has been complicit in, or influenced by the ABC’s Four Corners program aired last week — yet another attempt by Australian institutions to demonise Marí Alkatiri. The Four Corners program, presented by Liz Jackson, filmed what was clearly a staged incident of "entrapment" put on by some East Timorese citizens specifically to give credence to the charge that Alkatiri was responsible for handing out weapons to civilians. The faked incident did not lead Liz Jackson to question the truth of the allegations being made.

Xanana Gusmão had called on Fretilin to convene a special conference to replace what he described as the "illegal" leadership of Alkatiri and Fretilin’s President thereby beheading the organisation. Fretilin held its normal Congress only about six weeks ago and had re-elected Marí Alkatiri as its General Secretary with a resounding majority.

Constitutionally, the role of East Timor’s President is largely ceremonial and has very few powers. He does not have the power to dismiss the government.

Xanana Gusmão has, since East Timor’s independence, played little part in the actual task of government and is ignoring the undoubted achievements of the government in a short period of time.

In an interview soon after the establishment of the first East Timor Government, Prime Minister Marí Alkatiri said: "We are absolutely sure that East Timor’s economy would not be sustainable if we [do] not solve the poverty problems from the outset. The eradication of poverty needs to be the main priority of this country. This means we should not only improve agricultural production, but we should also improve the educational system, the health service, the housing stock and the supply of water and electricity."

In only four years the government has done much in the fields of education, housing and health care and, by no means least, has won a substantial share of the oil revenues due to it. This was achieved in the face of strong resistance by Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer.

ADF interfering

There are now reports that members of the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) are flagrantly interfering in East Timor’s political affairs by asking citizens who they support, and then victimising Fretilin supporters. They even spread a rumour that Alkatiri has already resigned as Prime Minister.

In what can only be regarded as a scandalous development, it has been announced that the Australian Government has already tendered for the building of a military base in East Timor.

The base is to house up to 3000 troops with all mod-cons, far in excess of anything enjoyed by the East Timorese people.

According to a Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) report (22/6/06) the "master" contractor is to be Patrick Defence Logistics, the same Patrick who was responsible for the savage attack on the Marítime Union of Australia in 1998. Part of this attempt to smash the MUA was the training of ex-defence personnel in Dubai to be subsequently used as strike breakers on the waterfront.

It would appear that the Patrick Company is now to be rewarded for its continuing support of the Howard Government by this rich contract.

It has to be asked whether the East Timorese Government was consulted about the construction of the base and whether any permission has been given by the government.

The SMH report says that the base is to be maintained for 15 months but only the naïve would accept that the base is to have such a short life span and that it will be dismantled at the end of the period.

There is no need for such a base for such a short period of time.

Its construction has to be seen in the context of much wider US and Australian objectives, including a war on the Asian mainland — for which preparations are already being made. It may also possibly be designed to create or interfere in instability in Indonesia.

The Howard Doctrine

As far back as 1999 The Guardian wrote of Australia’s imperialist ambitions cloaked in humanitarian pretences. The government had announced what was called at the time the "Howard Doctrine" which made clear the Australian Government’s ambition to play a "Deputy Sheriff" role to US interests whose resources had even then become overstretched.

Even before the referendum in East Timor the government said: "Months ago we made ready an additional brigade of the Australian army in case Australian forces were needed for peacekeeping operations in East Timor. As a result we were able to respond immediately to the UN request, not only to participate but to lead the multinational force."

The same advance preparations were made for intervention in the present circumstances.

It needs to be recalled that the Australian Government supported the Indonesian invasion and occupation of East Timor. An Australian-Indonesian Treaty was signed by the Keating Government facilitating the carve-up of East Timor’s oil and gas reserves.

But Australia became uncertain of the direction likely to be taken by Indonesia following the departure of the military dictatorship of President Suharto. Furthermore, increased international attention on the savagery of the Indonesian occupation of East Timor and the Fretilin struggle made Australia’s continued neglect of the East Timorese right to independence untenable.

Howard’s eventual support for East Timor’s independence was merely a ploy to create a situation in which Indonesia’s colonial occupation was replaced by East Timor being turned into an Australian protectorate.

The determination of the present East Timor Government to implement policies independently of the World Bank and the IMF, to retain public enterprise and to fight for their oil rights cut across Australia’s policy ideas and Australia’s corporate interests. It has now organised the coup attempt to bring an end to these policies which cut across Howard’s imperialist ambitions.

The rush to establish a base in East Timor has always been in the back of the minds of Australia’s government leaders and it is now being implemented. If the Australian Government is successful, it would not only end East Timor’s independence but is a potential threat to all Asian countries.

A statement by the Portuguese Communist Party issued last week "warns the Portuguese people of the escalation of Australia’s imperialist interference in the internal affairs of East Timor [which is] particularly clear and shocking on the part of its armed forces which, taking advantage of Timor’s internal problems, openly acts to carry out economic and political ambitions in the region against the lawful Timorese Government and against Fretilin. [It is] behaving like an occupation force." The statement also said that in no circumstances should the Portuguese National Republican Guard interfere in the internal affairs of this sovereign country.

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