E Timor asks UN to lead inquiry into violence

An independent probe into the violence "is critical for Timor-Leste to overcome its present crisis, achieve reconciliation and for the upholding of the rule of law," Ramos-Horta said in a statement.

The commission should be established as "quickly as possible", he said, adding that once the body is formed it will be given three months to submit its report.

"The reason we have asked the UN to establish this inquiry is because the state is not in a position to conduct such an inquiry and, because of the parties involved in the current crisis, a domestic inquiry would formally lack credibility," the foreign minister said.

The tiny nation was plunged into crisis in March when Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri sacked 600 soldiers -- nearly half the army -- after they left their barracks, complaining of discrimination because they came from the country's west.

The sackings triggered fighting between rival soldiers and between police and soldiers, and the violence further disintegrated into lawlessness and gang clashes.

More than 2,000 combat-ready foreign peacekeepers, mainly from Australia, are deployed in Dili to try to quell the violence.

Opposition politicians have accused Alkatiri of backing gangs to foment violence, a claim he has denied.

An independent commission could "reestablish public confidence in government and security institutions, and promote democratic governance," Ramos-Horta said.