Xanana gusmao biography of michael

Mr Gusmao became known as the 'poet warrior'

East Timor's former guerrilla leader Xanana Gusmao repeatedly said he did not want to be the new country's first president, insisting he would rather be a pumpkin farmer or photographer.

But after East Timor voted to break away from Indonesian rule in August 1999, there was no other serious contender.

After leading his nation for the first tentative years of independence, he announced that he would step aside from the presidency early in 2007, and is now concentrating on campaigning to become the prime minister in parliamentary elections in June.

Mr Gusmao is a legend among his people.

José Alexandre Xanana Gusmão Biography - Infoplease

He fought an armed rebellion against Indonesian rule for two decades, spent more than six years in an Indonesian prison and under house arrest. He was released on 7 September 1999, just days after East Timor's landmark referendum result was announced.

The vote sparked a wave of bloodshed led by pro-Jakarta militias opposed to inde 1988 - 2000 | Laureates | Sakharov Prize | European Parliament NYS