Gusmao sees difficult years ahead

Gusmao sees difficult years ahead

EAST TIMOR: President-elect Xanana Gusmao says his country will have to endure difficult times before it develops into a self- sustaining nation.

"I believe we are going to have a very difficult three years" after the country's formal independence on May 20, Gusmao said in an interview broadcast on Tuesday on Portuguese public radio.

Gusmao told Radiodifusao Portuguesa that East Timor's first step will be to establish state institutions and try to change the mentality of the 800,000 citizens. The country lived under Indonesian rule following the withdrawal of Portugal's colonial administration in 1974.

International support is "absolutely necessary because we don't have anything," Gusmao said. --AP