Thousands of people in the town of Liquiçá gave an enthusiastic welcome to Prime Minister Ramos-Horta and the Bishop of Dili, Dom Ricardo da Silva, there to witness the handover of weapons to the authorities.
In his first major public function since becoming Prime Minister, Dr Ramos Horta traveled to the town east of the capital Dili to witness the handover by Vicente "Railos'' da Conceição and his men of 14 weapons to the prosecutor general Longuinhos Monteiro.
In a speech to thousands of people at the town's soccer stadium he said: "We can win with our convictions and ideas. We cannot win with violence or weapons."
"Our own history has seen the triumph of conviction over force," the Nobel Peace Laureate continued.
"So let me appeal to all individuals or groups who are in possession of weapons of any kind to hand them over to the authorities," Prime Minister Ramos-Horta said.
Today's handover of the weapons and the speeches by Prime Minister Ramos-Horta and Bishop Dom Ricardo, as well the appeals on the issue by President Xanana Gusmão, are expected to have a positive response and result in others to handover their weapons too.
Also attending the handover ceremony was the Special Envoy of the President of the European Commission, Ambassador Dr Miguel Amado, who in his speech appealed for dialogue and peace and reiterated the European Commission's support for Timor-Leste.
Ambassador Amado was expressing the feelings of the President of the European Commission, Dr José Manuel Durão Barroso, a good and old friend of Timor-Leste, who promptly sent a Special Envoy, Ambassador Amado, and is going to elevate the level of the European Commission representation in Timor-Leste to that of Embassy.
The handover at Liquiçá today was both a symbolic and significant ceremony as it marked the start of a move towards a secure and safe country. It was also a key step towards healing and reconciliation.
The handover was also witnessed by traditional and local leaders from both Liquiçá and nearby villages. - ENDS.
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CHRIS SANTOS
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