AKI Jun-29-06 13:09
"Irrespective of Alkatiri's innocence or guilt, however, the leadership of East Timor must unite and put the interests of the people, and the future of the country before their own political biases and interests, according to an analyst from the Focus on the Global South think-tank, Shalmali Guttal.
 
"Otherwise, no matter who is in power, the country will always be susceptible to political meddling, and the people will always be insecure," Guttal warned."
Dili, 29 June (AKI) – Foreign peacekeepers were braced for further violence in volatile East Timor on Thursday as thousands of supporters of the country's former prime minister, Mari Alkatiri, who earlier this week was forced to stand down, headed for the capital, Dili. Alkatiri's resignation sparked sporadic gang and ethnic attacks across Dili on Wednesday in which over 20 houses were torched and a refugee camp stone. Yet despite the tense situation in the country, political analysts told Adnkronos International (AKI) that Alkatiri's departure is a positive development.