DILI, 24 march 2022 (TATOLI) – The main negotiator of the Council for the Definitive Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries, Xanana Gusmão, expresses his “deepest condolences” over the passing of the Former Foreign Minister Madeleine Albright, who died on this wednesday, at the age of the 84, from cancer.
Xanana Gusmão wrote a letter to Madeleine’s daughter, Alice Albright, offering his condolences.
In his letter that, TATOLI News Agency access, today, stated that: “It is with great sadness that I write to offer my sincere condolences on the death of your mother, Madeleine Albright, who was such a fearless advocate for peace and human rights and a critical advocate of freedom for the Timorese people.”
Xanana considers Madeleine Albright’s death a great loss. “I know it must be such a difficult time for you, your sisters and your family. I offer my sympathies and condolences to your family and the American people as we remember their extraordinary life and their contribution to global peace and freedom.”
“I was deeply honored by your mother in 2004 when I was President of the National Democratic Institute and received her Harriman Democracy Award. This award was an important endorsement of our new independent nation and helped to consolidate democracy in our country”, he recalled.
Xanana recalled that Madeleine Albright was an extraordinary global statesman who had the courage to stand up to oppression and tyranny around the world.
“We all reflect on his long list of global achievements, it is important that his role in supporting the self-determination of the Timorese people and an end to violence in our country be remembered,” he said.
The former resistance leader also recalled that while the Timorese people continued to suffer under a devastating occupation in 1999, Madeleine Albright traveled to Jakarta to meet with the Indonesian President and demand a peaceful transition to Timor-Leste.
“It was an extremely important statement for both Indonesia and the world. She also insisted on visiting me in Jakarta, where I had been imprisoned since 1992,” he recalled.
The former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for the National Liberation of Timor-Leste (FALINTIL) also revealed that “as a leader of the Timorese resistance struggle, your meeting with me gave our cause a great boost and credibility and conveyed a clear message to the Indonesian leaders and military that the US supported peace in Timor-Leste”.
Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright was born in may 15, 1937 and passed away on march 23, 2022 was an American diplomat who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001, under the President Bill Clinton. She was the first female secretary of state in U.S. history.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Rafy Belo
