Dili, East Timor
In a development that could herald the end of months of chaos, José Ramos-Horta was sworn in this week as prime minister of the tiny Pacific nation of East Timor. In his inaugural address, Ramos-Horta, who won the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent resistance to Indonesian rule, said the “inefficiency, incompetence, and laziness” of the outgoing government had prevented East Timor from moving out of its dire poverty. He said he would invite U.N. peacekeepers to police the country, to help ensure stability and encourage foreign investment. East Timor has been in turmoil since the spring, when soldiers opposed to the former prime minister staged a mutiny.
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