Stephen Romei, New York – At the risk of exposing himself to political parody, Xanana Gusmao has a simple message for the international community: Read my lips, I will not run for the presidency of East Timor.
"I have stated again, again and again, and here once more, that I will not run for president," the independence leader said during a visit to New York's Columbia University yesterday.
Asked if there were any circumstances under which he might change his mind before 2002, when East Timor's first elections are scheduled, he said: "No."
Mr Gusmao, who resigned last week as head of East Timor's transitional government, said the fledging nation, and its backers in the West, must learn to value democracy above personality. "From the beginning of the struggle, I always put the national interest first. The international community must help East Timor, not Xanana East Timor," he said.
"Our nation, our people, have to believe in the democratic institutions and values, not in the personalities. If they depend on just one or two people, they will find it difficult." Mr Gusmao, 54, said he would back Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos Horta for both his old job as head of East Timor's National Council and as the nation's first president.
Asked if Mr Ramos Horta was not also a "personality", Mr Gusmao said: "We do not need him in terms of the Nobel prize, we need him as an expert in foreign affairs. The president has to play an important role in the dialogue with the donor countries, just to keep alive the [independence] process."
The National Council, which is working with the UN on East Timor's transition to independence, this week postponed until April 9 a debate on who should replace Mr Gusmao.
Mr Gusmao, who is in the US on a private visit, stressed that rebuilding basic social services, such as education and healthcare, was East Timor's overriding priority.
"We have to solve all of these problems before thinking about being a model of justice for the world," he said when asked about the possibility of establishing a war crimes tribunal.