East Timor rebels pledge to disarm

The commander of rebels in a conflict with East Timor’s government said the insurgents would hand over weapons to international peacekeepers today, after being asked to disarm by President Xanana Gusmao.

The commander of rebels in a conflict with East Timor’s government said the insurgents would hand over weapons to international peacekeepers today, after they were asked to disarm by President Xanana Gusmao.

Lieutenant Commander Alfredo Reinado, who heads a rebel group that includes soldiers dismissed from the army earlier this year, said Gusmao had asked him to hand in his weapons to help solve the crisis that has paralysed the tiny country’s government for months and devastated its law and order.