Mais um empurrão dos "amigos" australianos

Timor PM in hit squad claim
June 09, 2006

ALLEGATIONS that East Timor's prime minister plotted to kill his opponents must be investigated, the federal government says.

The "very serious" allegations should be investigated by East Timor or the United Nations, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today.

Mr Downer also called on East Timor's politicians to "get their act together" and not expect Australia or the rest of the world to solve their problems.

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has denied allegations he recruited a hit squad of troops to eliminate his political opponents in the lead-up to next year's elections.

The ABC reported that the men, former members of the Falantil resistance, had been given weapons and that their alleged targets included soldiers from the west of the country sacked by Alkatiri.

East Timor Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta has called for an urgent investigation into the allegations.

However he added:"I find it very hard to believe that our prime minister would arm civilians, individuals and in particular give orders to assassinate others, no matter who they are."

Asked about the allegatiions, Mr Downer said:"Whether they are allegations of substance, that is another matter, but they are very serious and very dramatic allegations.

"Our view of it is that the East Timorese should investigate these kinds of allegations," he told reporters in Adelaide.

"And if they feel in the present circumstances they are unable to do so, then they should approach the international community to help them.

"But they are allegations so we treat them as precisely that, these are far from proven.
"As the East Timorese foreign minister has said, they ought to be looked into but the East Timorese should be doing that or asking someone to come and help them to do it.

"And that might mean that they will for example approach the United Nations and ask the United Nations to expand on the inquiry that the UN is already considering into the deaths of the East Timorese police the other day."

East Timor's ambassador to Australia, Hernani Coelho da Silva, said there were no concerns about a possible investigation into the allegations.

"We don't have anything to cover up, we are open to what is considered best by international measures," he told reporters in Canberra.

"As people say, we can't put the cart before the horse, so let's work and find out what is actually going on."

Mr Downer said Australia's peacekeeping role in East Timor was proving to be "quite a difficult mission".

"The reason for that is the East Timorese political players have to get their act together," he said.

"They can't just expect the rest of the world to solve their problems for them or to take responsibility for all their problems.

"They must learn, as an independent country, to take responsibility for themselves, for their own behaviour."

Meanwhile, World Vision has launched an emergency appeal for funds to supply food to up to 100,000 East Timorese forced from their homes by armed gangs who have been terrorising the capital Dili.