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Dili - East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta was stable after he was shot in the stomach during an attack on his Dili home by rebel soldiers, Foreign Minister Zacarias da Costa said on Monday.
The president, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle for East Timor's independence from Indonesian occupation, was being operated on by an Australian military medical team in Dili after the pre-dawn attack by the gunmen.
"I was in the heliport and yes, he's in a stable condition, his life is not endangered," da Costa told CNN television, referring to a heliport at an Australian military base in Dili where Ramos-Horta was taken.
Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado was killed in the assault and an East Timor soldier was also seriously wounded, military spokesman Domingos da Camara said.
Da Costa said Ramos-Horta would be flown to the Australian city of Darwin for further treatment and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao was in charge of the country. It was still unclear who carried out the attack, he said.
"We haven't had confirmation (that Reinado and his renegades were involved)," da Costa said. "At least two of them had military uniforms," he said, which pointed to the involvement of rebels.
The military said attackers in two cars were involved in the raid on the president's isolated home at 4.30am. International security forces placed a cordon around the house and were patrolling Dili's streets to prevent fresh violence.
Asia's youngest nation has been struggling to claw its way back to stability after plunging into chaos in 2006 when the army tore apart on regional lines.
The factional bloodshed two years ago killed 37 people and drove 150,000 from their homes, with foreign troops needed to restore order between warring neighbourhoods.
Reinado has led a revolt against the government and has been charged with murder during the 2006 factional violence. Rebels loyal to Reinado fired on Australian troops patrolling near Dili earlier this month, an Australian commander said at the time.
Security analyst Alan Dupont, from Sydney think tank the Lowy Institute, said the shooting was grim news for East Timor.
"I'm afraid the promise of independence has faded quite considerably over the last couple of years," Dupont said.
"It is seriously going to destabilise East Timor further at a time when they looked to be recovering from the problems of the last 12-18 months."
Australia's government was being briefed on the shooting as senior ministers met in Canberra and a statement was expected later on Monday. Australia has around 800 troops in East Timor as part of an international security force.
Australia's government re-issued its travel warning for East Timor after the attack, saying the security situation remained fragile, with the risk of violent civil unrest.
"The situation could deteriorate without warning," it said.
It said increased tensions were likely in February due to changes in food distribution and negotiations between the government and former soldiers.
- REUTERS
