DILI, 29 august 2024 (TATOLI) – The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, stated that the independence of Timor-Leste was possible due to the tenacity of the Timorese resistance; despite Portugal being a small country and having little influence in international affairs, it was fully committed to defending the right to self-determination of the Timorese people.
UN Secretary General Guterres made the statement after taking a guided tour of the Timorese Resistance Museum and Archive (AMRT) and participating in an exclusive interview program, the Horta Show, with the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmão, hosted by the President of the Republic, José Ramos Horta.
“I believe that the first and fundamental reason why the independence of Timor-Leste was possible was the tenacity of the Timorese resistance. And that must be recognized. The Timorese resistance did not give up. To resist is to win, said Prime Minister Gusmão, and Mário Soares has another saying: only those who give up fighting are defeated. The Timorese did not give up under any circumstances; they did not give up in the mountains, and they did not give up with Xanana in prison. They always kept alive the determination to fight for the country’s independence,” he stated in the AMRT auditorium in Dili.
Furthermore, according to Guterres, Timorese society has its own identity, and he considered that the Catholic church played a significant role in rejecting the Indonesian occupation in a particularly evident way.
“Indonesia invested, perhaps, but it had the illusion that it had won the hearts and souls of the Timorese, but that is not true. The Timorese maintained their will to be an independent people. And this is the most important of all factors,” he stressed.
Former Prime Minister Portugal also stressed that there was another factor that made Timor-Leste’s independence possible, following complex processes in Indonesia after the end of President Suharto, which opened up an opportunity for international negotiation.
“It was a window of opportunity that was seized, and, let’s be clear, it could not have existed if the Timorese resistance had not persisted for decades when it seemed that there would be no window of opportunity,” he considered.
Guterres also stressed that despite the dramatic situation that occurred in the liberation struggle after the referendum, today there is a consolidated democracy in Timor-Leste, and there is also a very positive relationship with Indonesia, both between Indonesia and Portugal.
The UN Secretary-General Guterres also considered Timor-Leste to be a symbol of peace, a symbol of harmony, and a very positive example in today’s world.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
