East Timor rebel leader pledges to begin disarming

EAST TIMOR: The commander of rebels in a monthslong conflict with East Timor's government said the insurgents would hand over weapons to international peacekeepers, after being asked to disarm by President Xanana Gusmao.

Lt. Cmdr. Alfredo Reinado, who heads a rebel group that includes soldiers dismissed from the army earlier this year, said Gusmao had asked him to hand in his weapons to help solve the crisis that has paralyzed the tiny country's government and devastated its law and order.

It was unclear how many weapons, and of what type, the forces have after fleeing the capital, Dili, in May, amid clashes with loyalist forces.

"Every weapon we have been issued, we will hand over," Reinado said.

Army Brig. Mick Slater, commander of the Australian-led forces charged with restoring order to East Timor, said he was expecting to receive 45 to 50 weapons from Reinado and another rebel leader, Maj. Augusto de Araujo Tara, in the coming days. The weapons would remain locked in steel containers at two sites, Slater said.

He acknowledged, however, that many more weapons would likely remain hidden in the hills "for many, many years to come."

The handover would begin in the early afternoon, he said, at a villa in the hills above Dili where his group is headquartered.

After the handover, the former soldiers were expected to remain in their compounds in Maubisse and the mountain town of Gleno, where Australian peacekeepers are also stationed.

"Provided they stay in these areas, they will receive the full protection of the international force to make sure that no one is aggressive toward them," Slater told a press conference.

"This will enable them to confidently enter into negotiations with the president and other members of the government."

Reinado is a firm opponent of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, whose government fired 600 soldiers in March, but has expressed loyalty to Gusmao and said the president contacted him Thursday night by telephone to discuss the crisis.

Gusmao asked that the rebels put down their arms, and promised that he and Reinado would have a further "dialogue" after Gusmao returns from a weekend meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the rebel commander said.

Reinado also said he had agreed to cooperate with any U.N. investigation into the recent violence.

In Dili, U.N. special representative Sukehiro Hasegawa called the weapons hand over a "first step in the right direction."

Maubisse,Friday,AP