East Timor's popular foreign minister said yesterday that a new government with broad political support will be installed within days and that he had assumed control of the Cabinet in the meantime.
The move could help restore political stability in the tiny nation after months of unrest in which at least 30 people were killed and 150,000 driven from their homes.
"In the next few days we should have a new government in place with the support of the ruling party and all the other parties," Jose Ramos-Horta, who is also acting defense minister, said in an interview.
It is key that the transitional government, which will prepare the nation for elections, have the backing of the leading Fretilin party of ousted prime minister Mari Alkatiri since it holds the largest number of seats in Parliament.
Until new leaders are installed, Ramos-Horta said that as the highest ranking official after the prime minister he had taken over "the day-to-day management of the government."
Meanwhile, Alkatiri yesterday failed to appear for questioning over gunrunning allegations that contributed to his downfall, saying he was immune from prosecution, an official said.
The former leader instead addressed around 1,000 cheering supporters who camped out in the grounds of Dili's university after marching through the city the day before amid a massive security clampdown by international peacekeepers.
"There is no east and no west," he said, urging an end to gang violence that has split some of Dili's residents along regional lines. "We are all brothers," he said, appealing for national unity.
Alkatiri rejected calls by President Xanana Gusmao to dissolve parliament and hold early elections, which Gusmao says is essential to free the tiny country from two months of political deadlock and unrest.
Australian-led peacekeepers watched over the crowd who gathered earlier in the morning for a short address from Gusmao, who also urged them not to resort to violence.
Earlier this week, gangs of youths set fire to homes and businesses and threw rocks at displaced persons camps in the first burst of violence in the capital in weeks.
But the thousands of demonstrators who arrived in Dili on Thursday from the country's eastern districts were peaceful and orderly, following a prearranged route for their march.
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