East Timor: Gusmao Criticizes 'Greed for Power,' Appeals for Unity 8 Jan-13:22

Initiating a weekly radio commentary over Portugal's state-run RDP radio, East Timorese independence leader Xanana Gusmao has again denounced what he calls the "greed for power" of the territory's political parties and appealed for unity around national objectives.

"We understand the legitimacy of seeking (partisan) political affirmation", Gusmao said in his first commentary, titled "Thoughts of a Former Guerrilla", broadcast Sunday in both Portuguese and Timorese Tetum.

"What bothers us is the greed for power. The political groups should try to have a rational, realistic vision of the complexity of the Timorese independence process".

"The interests of political and social groups", he lamented, were outstripping "national interests".

In East Timor, the weekly commentary, part of RDP's "Timor Lorosae" program, is carried by Dili's Radio Timor Kmanek, which rebroadcasts RDP's signal.

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