From left to right - Professor Robin Jeffrey (Convenor, College of Asia and the Pacific), HE Dr Ramos Horte (Prime Minister of Timor-Leste), Andrea Haese (Executive Officer, APCD) and Major-General Mike Smith AO, (Rtd) (Chief Executive Officer, Austcare).

The podcast for the Public Lecture is available at:

http://info.anu.edu.au/Discover_ANU/News_and_Events/Public_Lectures/_Jose_Ramos-Horta.asp

In his first visit to Australia as Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, Dr Jose Ramos-Horta discussed the current situation in Timor-Leste.

Dr Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is an affable, accomplished and charismatic diplomat who was recently handed one of the biggest challenges of his life: On July 10 he became the young nation of Timor-Leste's second prime minister amid high expectations that he can restore political stability, reconstitute the security forces, promote development, eradicate corruption and revive public faith in this fledgling democracy. Although conditions remain bleak, he is widely viewed as the best man for promoting reconciliation and restoring hope. In addition to accepting this mission impossible, he put aside personal ambitions by withdrawing his name from a shortlist of candidates expected to succeed U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.