HD Representative, President Ramos Horta, and Major Alfredo Reinado- Meeting on 19 August 2007

PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dateline: Geneva
11 February 2008

HD Centre regrets Timor violence
The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre) deeply regrets the attack on
the President and Prime Minister of Timor Leste, which resulted in the deaths of
three people. President Jose Ramos Horta was seriously wounded in the attack.
The HD Centre has been helping the government engage in dialogue with
disaffected elements of the police and armed forces who removed themselves
from the law and threatened armed insurrection. The HD Centre’s facilitation
was supported by all the parties on the ground and two meetings were arranged
between President Jose Ramos Horta and the fugitive Major Alfredo Reinado.
The principal aim of these meetings was to secure an agreement whereby
Reinado and his followers gave up their arms in return for a dialogue with the
government on outstanding grievances and legal issues. The last of these
meetings took place in January. Major Reinado died in this morning’s attack.

The HD Centre is on the ground in Dili closely following events and is in contact
with the authorities.

*** ENDS ***

For more information on the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue or its activities
in East Timor, please contact: Michael Vatikiotis in Singapore, +65 9272 6385,
vatikiotis@hdcentre.org

www.hdcentre.org

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue is an independent and impartial
organization that aims to improve the global response to armed conflict by
helping to resolve armed conflicts. It also convenes eminent mediators from
around the world to share their experience and conducts research and analysis
to advance practical policy recommendations in pursuit of its objectives. The HD Centre is active in a number of conflicts around the world, some of which are necessarily confidential, where it mediates and facilitates dialogue among
belligerents thereby reducing human suffering in war.