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Dili (ANTARA News) - 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.

Residents reported that the capital Dili appeared calm, but some analysts warned the attack could destablise the young country that has been struggling to get back on its feet after the army tore apart along regional lines in 2006.

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 was quoted by Reuters as telling 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.

A spokeswoman for Royal Darwin Hospital said: "At the moment we are preparing to receive president Horta later today."

Da Costa said it was still unclear who carried out the attack. "We haven't had confirmation (that Reinado and his renegades were involved). 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 4:30 a.m.

International security forces placed a cordon around the house and were patrolling Dili's streets to prevent fresh violence.

Gusmao also attack

Prime Minister Gusmao was also attacked on Monday morning, Alfredo de Araujo, a member of Gusmao's security team, said.

"No one was wounded but Gusmao's car was damaged by bullets," said the official, adding that Gusmao's family had been taken to a military compound for protection.

The United Nations said Gusmao was coordinating with the U.N. mission in the country and international forces.

Aid worker Mauricio Borges told Reuters Dili appeared calm.

"Dili is safe. There are no riots in the capital. But there is heavy patrolling by the police and military police," Borges said, adding many helicopters were flying over the capital.

Borges said Gusmao had spoken on national radio and appealed to East Timorese to stay indoors and not spread rumours.

"The attack against the state has failed," the aid worker
quoted Gusmao as saying. The prime minister said his driver was
wounded and his car badly damaged in the attack against him.

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 had led a revolt against the government and was
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.

Some analysts warned the attack on Ramos-Horta and killing
of Reinado could spark another outbreak of violence and lead to
a collapse of the government, if supporters of rebel leader
Reinado pulled out of the coalition.

"Prime Minister Xanana is going to have to work very hard to ensure the government retains its cohesion. It's a crisis now," said Damien Kingsbury, associate professor at Australia's Deakin University

Security analyst Alan Dupont, from Sydney think tank the Lowy Institute, said the shooting was grim news for East Timor.

"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," said Dupont.

Senior Australian 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. (*)

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