DILI (Reuters) - The leader of a group of East Timor rebels accused of trying to assassinate President Jose Ramos-Horta in February has surrendered to authorities, the country's deputy prime minister said on Tuesday.
Gastao Salsinha and 12 of his men surrendered to deputyprime minister Jose Luis Guterres at the government palace inthe capital Dili during a meeting behind closed doors.
"Today is a great day for the East Timor people...," deputyprime minister Jose Luis Guterres said.
The surrender will raise hopes that Asia's youngest nationmay now be able to find some stability since a hard-wonindependence from Indonesia in 2002.
Salsinha, who took command of the rebels after theirleader, Alfredo Reinado, was killed in the February 11 attackon President Jose Ramos-Horta, had been negotiating withauthorities from a house in Ermera district, 75 km (47 miles)west of the capital.
His surrender was witnessed by Ramos-Horta, parliamentspeaker Fernando de Araujo and the head of the United Nations'mission in East Timor Atul Khare.
The men also surrendered weapons and other militaryequipment including camouflage uniforms and grenades.
East Timor had issued arrest warrants for Salsinha, aformer army lieutenant, and 22 others over the February 11attacks, which also targeted Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.
The army tore apart along regional lines in 2006, whenabout 600 soldiers were sacked, triggering factional violencethat killed 37 people and drove 150,000 from their homes.
East Timor's parliament agreed last week to lift a state ofemergency imposed following the attack on Ramos-Horta, althoughthe state of alert was extended for another month in Ermera.
Ramos-Horta has returned to East Timor after more than twomonths of treatment in Australia. Gusmao escaped a separateraid unharmed.
Reflecting improvements in security, Australia willwithdraw 200 troops from East Timor, sent following theFebruary assassination attempt, Australian Prime Minister KevinRudd said.
More than 2,500 foreign troops and police remain in thecountry to help local security forces maintain stability.(Reporting by Tito Belo, Writing by Ed Davies; Editing bySanjeev Miglani)