Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta became East Timor's new prime minister yesterday, shouldering the challenge of returning the young nation's stability after months of violence and political turmoil.
President Xanana Gusmao announced the formation of a new government, filling a void created when former prime minister Mari Alkatiri resigned last month amid allegations he formed a hit squad to kill his political opponents.
Many in East Timor blame Alkatiri's dismissal of 600 soldiers -- nearly half the country's armed forces -- for May street battles that erupted in the capital between police and army units and later spilled into gang warfare, looting and arson.
At least 30 people were killed and 150,000 others forced from their homes.
"Today I officially announce the new government of East Timor," Gusmao told reporters after emergency talks with Alkatiri's ruling Fretilin party. "The prime minister is Dr Jose Ramos-Horta."
Ramos-Horta will be inaugurated within days, Gusmao said.
He said he hoped the move would help "bring about the process of healing and bring peace and stability to the people of East Timor."
The first and most important task, he said, was getting tens of thousands of people out of refugee camps and into their homes.
The recent violence, which eased with the arrival of 2,700 foreign peacekeepers six weeks ago, was the worst to hit the country since its 1999 vote for independence after 24 years of Indonesian rule.
Analysts said efforts to usher in political stability ahead of next year's elections hinged on finding a prime minister acceptable to both Gusmao and Fretilin, who are often at odds.
The party provided Gusmao with a list of four candidates -- among them Ramos-Horta, who won the 1996 Nobel peace prize for championing the cause of East Timor's resistance struggle during nearly two decades in exile.
His greatest challenge will be to quickly address splits in the security forces, fully investigate killings and forge political support within Fretilin, which has seen internal divisions harden in the recent turmoil.
Many members oppose Ramos-Horta, 56, who is a close political ally of the president. He was foreign minister in the previous government, and took on the interior and defense portfolios after the latest unrest.
Alkatiri, meanwhile, was told he would have to answer to questions about whether he knew weapons were being funneled to civilian militias during the unrest to terrorize his opponents.
Prosecutor-General Longuinhos Monteiro said Alkatiri had been summoned for questioning "as a suspect in the case." He did not elaborate.
Officials from the prosecutor's office were not immediately available to confirm the report, and Alkatiri's spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Also see story:East Timorese PM Jose Ramos-Horta kept the dream alive
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