Quotes of the Day

Following the dismissal of 600 soldiers from East Timor's defense force in March, protests in Dili late last month erupted in the worst violence since the 1999 independence referendum, leaving several people dead and the capital on edge. The nation's Foreign Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner visited Australia last week and talked to Time's Lisa Clausen about the quest for lasting peace, a career change and pumpkin farming.

There's been tension in the Army, and between the Army and police, for some time. Could this violence have been avoided?
It could have been if the police and Army leadership, and also the government as a whole, had taken the complexity of the issue much more seriously and addressed it in a timely fashion. Instead, we allowed it to drag on and fester. There was a certain laissez-faire attitude that has proved very costly.

Will there now be a shake-up of the Army?
In the medium to long term, yes. We will have to profoundly reorganize the defense force and rethink our defense strategy. We should focus, too, on a better police force. We do not face conventional external security threats now or in the foreseeable future—we face internal security threats.

What about claims of a nascent insurgency?
I don't believe that. To fight an insurgency in Timor you need profound motivations—otherwise you don't last long. But the situation is still very tense. The population of Dili is stressed. There are all sorts of rumors.

Is an extended U.N. presence in the run-up to next year's elections—something the U.S. was initially reluctant to support—more likely now?
Absolutely. It's now certain that the U.N. Security Council will approve an extension. I wish the violence hadn't happened, but this crisis has been a wake-up call to the Timorese leadership and to the U.N.

Have people's expectations since independence four years ago been unrealistic?
The high expectations of urban people haven't been realistic. Nevertheless, the government could have done more to address the demands of the poorest people by investing quickly in infrastructure development to provide jobs. Instead, it has been too careful not to spend money without first having the legislative framework in place. But sometimes social pressures and expectations cannot wait for that. We should go ahead anyway.

Many Timorese believe justice for past human-rights violations has been sacrificed for good relations with Jakarta.
I wouldn't say that. Indonesia is a very fragile nation with many challenges. Those of us who are its neighbors have to understand the difficulties of a country in transition. We have to work with them to find the best way of dealing with the past.

What are Timor's chances of securing lasting peace and democracy?
Very, very good. We will go through hiccups like this time and again until finally we consolidate in a few years. Look at Singapore and Malaysia 50 years ago, with their sectarian violence. And such violence has cost thousands of lives in Indonesia. We just have to stay focused and not lose hope.

Does that become harder to achieve if Xanana Gusmão doesn't run for President again next year?
My President considered not running again, but maybe the current troubles will change his mind. I hope so. As for me, I would hope that by next year I can retire as Foreign Minister.

And you've been tipped as the next U.N. Secretary-General?
I enjoy living in my country, in the modesty of my surroundings, but I don't fear the job of Secretary-General. I know the U.N. very well. But my first commitment is still to my country.

Xanana has said he would rather be a pumpkin farmer than President. Do you long for a quieter life?
I wouldn't join him in pumpkin farming. I'd prefer to write a bestseller. I have been asked to write about my life, but my inclination would be for a book of my reflections on the world's troubles. I'd write it somewhere in the hills above Dili.

• Lisa Clausen