' E Timor President, UN Play Down Unrest Fears'

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Fonte: © 2008 LUSA - Agência de Notícias de Portugal, S.A. (CFF */SB)
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"DILI, East Timor, Dec 24 (AFP) -- East Timor's president and the United Nations played down reports Wednesday that the tiny Asian nation was staggering under the weight of social and economic problems and on the brink of chaotic unrest.

The Australian daily newspaper reported this week that a confidential UN report found East Timor's shambolic police and legal system, economic turmoil and bitterly divided politics risked sparking violence similar to the unrest in 2006.

The unrest, triggered by the desertion of 600 troops, led to fighting among police, military and gangs that killed at least 37 people and caused around 100,000 of the country's one million people to flee their homes.

However Jose Ramos-Horta said there was no sign East Timor was set to slip into anarchy again.

"It's better if I read what (The Australian) is saying first, but I do want to say the situation in Timor Leste is very calm, there has been extraordinary progress on every front." Ramos-Horta told AFP, referring to the country by its Portuguese name.

"I believe that peace is gaining root in Timor Leste and anyone who suggests otherwise are either misinformed or pesimistic, or they want Timor to remain unstable so that they can have influence here," he said.

The UN mission in East Timor (UNMIT), which was established in the country in the wake of the 2006 violence refused to confirm or deny the existence of the confidential report, but said East Timor is progressing towards peace and stability.

"In UNMIT's view, we can say clearly that we feel very good about the progress that has been made in Timor in 2008 and the resiliency demonstrated by the Timorese people in a year that started with great challenge," acting special representative Finn Reske-Nielsen said in a statement.

"The country is at peace and the people of Timor-Leste are ready to celebrate the Christmas holidays in a calm and dignified manner," he said.

East Timor gained formal independence in 2002 after a bloody 24-year occupation by neighbour Indonesia that led to the deaths of up to 200,000 people."

Fonte: Joyo Indonesia News Service/East Timor & Indonesia Action Network (ETAN)/John M. Miller. Web site: http://www.etan.org

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