UN abandoned new nation too soon Jun. 2, 2006. 01:00 AM ROSIE DIMANNO "It is inconceivable that more blood will be shed in tiny East Timor, not freedom fighter against freedom fighter." Me, in an April 2002 column. It's bad form to quote oneself. Usually, commentators do it to wag an I-told-you-so finger, perversely pleased over worst predictions realized. Put it down to optimism and affection for what was, at that time, the newest sovereign nation of the 21st century. Now, given combustible events over the past month, East Timor is in danger of becoming the planet's latest failed state. Fortunately, the country still has a beloved leader — their hero of independence, President Xanana Gusmao — to rally around. He has the stones, and moral authority, to bring East Timor back from the brink of ruin. Yesterday, tears streaming down his face, Gusmao spoke with poignant urgency to displaced citizens who have taken refuge in a United Nations compound: "I know there are
life, from my point of view :)