ALTHOUGH East Timorese resistance leader Xanana Gusmao has not yet declared any political ambitions, he looks increasingly like a man who will have a presidency thrust upon him.
Once again he has given a consummate display of leadership - one that will win him nothing but admirers. Bidding farewell yesterday to the last of the Indonesian troops to leave newly independent East Timor, Mr Gusmao chose a tone of conciliation. From a man who dresses in military combat fatigues and who spent seven years under house arrest in Indonesia, it was, perhaps, an incongruous message.
But eight days ago, the same statesmanlike Mr Gusmao returned in triumph to East Timor and declared with what appeared to be genuine humility that he was 'not a saviour'. He talked of 'sweeping up the ashes and planting seeds of hope'.
Recriminations and bitterness from a leader who represents people who have suffered greatly would have surprised few. But the fact Mr Gusmao chose to focus on the future, rather than the wrongs of the past, means there is now real hope the fledgling country of East Timor can forge a new future, based on peaceful co-existence with its powerful neighbour, Indonesia.
Mr Gusmao's remarks to reporters after witnessing the Indonesian troops depart summed up his stance: 'I must say it ends the historical errors and mistakes between two countries turned enemy. It means also from now on we have to look at the future and our citizens.' What is clear is that for East Timor to have any kind of future it must achieve stability and security. Only then can a lasting political structure and a realistic economic programme be established - the vital elements of its reconstruction.
After the foreign troops have left, it is little East Timor's relationship with Indonesia that will be crucial. Mr Gusmao is right to start now the process of ensuring that those ties enter a fresh era of mutual co-existence.
