East Timor's Prime Minister Resigns



Alkatiri, who had resisted earlier calls for his removal, said he was quitting to prevent the threatened resignation of East Timor's widely popular President Xanana Gusmao. Gusmao, a former resistance leader turned founding father, had suggested last week he might step down if Alkatiri remained in office but later backed away from the threat.

East Timor's Prime Minister Resigns

East Timor's Prime Minister Resigns

By Alan Sipress
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, June 26, 2006; 9:26 AM

Caption: East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao, right, looks grim as Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri sits next to him while he talks to media upon arrival back from Indonesia at Dili's airport, East Timor, Sunday, June, 18, 2006. Gusmao said Alfredo Reinado, who is demanding that East Timor's politically powerful prime minister step down, 'was not a rebel' despite the fact he took up arms against other government forces while he was in Bali. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

JAKARTA, Indonesia, June 26 -- East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri resigned Monday, easing tensions that have fueled weeks of violent clashes in the capital, Dili, and sparking celebrations among thousands of protesters demanding his ouster.

Alkatiri, who had resisted earlier calls for his removal, said he was quitting to prevent the threatened resignation of East Timor's widely popular President Xanana Gusmao. Gusmao, a former resistance leader turned founding father, had suggested last week he might step down if Alkatiri remained in office but later backed away from the threat.

"I declare I am ready to resign from my position as prime minister," Alkatiri told reporters outside his home in Dili. He said he was "assuming my own share of responsibility for the crisis affecting our country" and "determined not to contribute to any deepening of the crisis."

The prime minister had been behind a move by the military in March to dismiss about 600 soldiers, including many who had alleged that the armed forces discriminated against those from the western part of East Timor. Instead of addressing the simmering discontent, Alkatiri's order to cashier nearly half the military sharply escalated the political turmoil.

Gun battles among rival factions in the security forces in turn provoked clashes between roaming gangs of easterners and westerners. With the East Timor government unable to control the civil strife that has left at least 30 people dead and forced more than 100,000 others to flee their homes for safety, an Australian-led peacekeeping force arrived in the country last month to restore order.

The violence was the worst since East Timor, the world's youngest and one of its smallest countries, voted for independence from Indonesia seven years ago. It was also a serious setback to what had been widely considered the United Nations' most successful effort at nation building.

Alkatiri came to office in 2002 as a relative unknown, a figure lacking in charisma who spent much of East Timor's 24-year independence struggle living in exile in Mozambique.

For weeks, Alkatiri has rebuffed demands that he resign even as he faced mounting allegations of wrongdoing, including accusations that he formed a death squad to silence his political opponents. Alkatiri has denied an involvement with hit squads, but his former interior minister is facing legal charges that he armed civilian militias at the prime minister's request.

The ruling Fretilin Party, which commands a majority in parliament, had also resisted calls for Alkatiri's ouster. On Sunday, the party voted to endorse Alkatiri's continued tenure, prompting Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Price winner who also recently took over the defense portfolio, to quit the government in protest. The transportation minister also stepped down.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters had rallied along the Dili waterfront since Tuesday demanding the prime minister's departure. Those demonstrations turned to joy as word of his resignation spread. Many danced in the streets while others drove through the capital banging drums and cans.

Gusmao issued a statement late Monday saying the prime minister's resignation would take effect immediately.

Ramos-Horta has previously offered to lead an interim government until fresh elections are held next year. But there was no immediate announcement about who would take over from Alkatiri. The Fretilin Party, which has the power to name his replacement, was considering several current cabinet ministers for the post, party officials said.

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