Australian Prime Minister John Howard Friday welcomed the
changes in Timor-Leste's government, saying the resignation of two
senior ministers is a positive step to restoring stability to the
nation.
Timor-Leste's Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato and Defense
Minister Roque Rodriguez resigned Thursday. Foreign Minister Jose
Ramos Horta took over the defense portfolio.
The resignation came after Timor-Leste's President Xanana Gusmao
demanded that the government pay a price for what he said the
mishandling of the crisis triggered by the dismiss of 600 soldiers
in March, who went on strike to protest against alleged
discrimination in the military based on regional origin.
Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal have sent troops
to Timor-Leste's capital of Dili at the country's request to help
restore order in the wake of continuing fighting between government
troops and the rebel soldiers.
Howard said it was clear there could be no progress in the
country with changes in the government.
"I'm not presuming to say who should be in the government of a
foreign country but it's obvious that we need stronger, less
contested government authority in Timor-Leste and one way of doing
that was to see some change in the personnel of the existing
government," he told Australia's Southern Cross broadcasting.
"Many Timor-Leste people hold the existing government
responsible for the breakdown in law and order," he said.
"And the resignation of two of those ministers and the
replacement of the defense minister at least by somebody as
credible as Ramos Horta is a very good development," he said.
He also denied that the task of restoring order was proving more
difficult than expected for Australian troops, despite of the fact
that a man was killed in Dili Thursday as the violence went on.
(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2006)
