(25 Jun 2006)
1. Exterior of Fretilin Party Headquarters
2. Various of Mari Alkatiri, East Timor's Prime Minister inside the meeting of the Fretilin party
3. Wide of party members singing
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Estanislao Aleixo da Silva, spokesman from the Fretilin Party:
"Members of the central committee unanimously approved this resolution, asking the Prime Minister (Mari Alkatiri) not to resign, and as well as asking the President (Xanana Gusmao) not to resign."
5. Wide of news conference
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Estanislao Aleixo da Silva, spokesman from the Fretilin Party:
"We are going to ask international experts in the (inaudible) resolution (to help mediate the crisis) as well as former Prime Ministers and Presidents and so on... we have made contact with the (former) President Jorge Sampaio, the former President of Portugal."
7. Alkatiri on mobile phone
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Estanislao Aleixo da Silva, spokesman from the Fretilin Party:
"We are going to ask support of the church, as we have had some meetings already before with the church. And then to resolve this conflict."
9. Various of protestors demanding the Prime Minster's resignation
STORYLINE:
East Timor's ruling party refused to fire the Prime Minister on Sunday, defying the demands of the popular president and triggering the resignation of the Nobel prize-winning Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta.
The developments threatened to completely unravel the government as it struggled to regain control following the worst outbreak of violence since the country voted for independence seven years ago.
Many East Timorese say Mari Alkatiri, the Prime Minster of East Timor's decision to fire 600 disgruntled soldiers in March, was to blame for street battles and gang warfare which left at least 30 people dead and sent nearly 150,000 people fleeing from their homes.
He also faces allegations of forming a hit squad to silence his political opponents, a charge he denies.
East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao, revered for leading East Timor's resistance to Indonesian occupation, last week demanded that Alkatiri resign, energising demonstrators who have poured into the streets by the thousands.
But the ruling Fretilin Party said, after holding emergency talks on Sunday in the capital Dili, that the Prime Minister had accepted the unanimous appeal of its committee to remain in his post.
Ramos-Horta, who won a Nobel peace prize in 1996 for his non-violent resistance to Indonesian rule over his tiny homeland, responded by saying he would himself step down until a new government was established.
Ovideo Amaral, East Timor's Transport Minister also handed in his resignation, while lashing out at Fretilin.
He said members of the Fretilin Party "should use realistic thinking," he told the Associated Press.
Amaral said the public called on Alkatiri to resign so questioned why Fretilin should support him
Just before dusk, some 5,000 anti-Alkatiri protesters rallied outside Government House after staying off the streets most of the day.
The mood was festive, but it appeared most did not know of Fretilin's decision to keep Alkatiri in power.
A group of young men in black tee-shirts circled a wooden casket that bore a photo of Alkatiri and a sign reading, "Vampire Man."
Though Alkatiri said he knew nothing about the alleged political hit squads, a close ally, Rogerio Lobato, the country's former interior minister, is facing criminal charges for allegedly arming civilian militias on his request.
Australian media reported on Sunday that Paulo Martins, East Timor's police chief, said Alkatiri should be arrested.
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