After a short visit to East Timor this morning, Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd paid a visit to Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta, in a hospital from Darwin city in northern Australia.

The President, who is currently in a coma, was wounded by two bullets in Monday’s shooting in Dili, East Timor’s capital. The attack was started by a group of rebel soldiers. The group’s leader, Alfredo Reinado, was killed during the attack on the President’s residence.

Doctors think that the 58-year-old President’s state of health is stable and they are confident about his recovery. It appears that they are not the only ones to think that Ramos-Horta is a strong man: "I know the old Jose, he's a fighter. He's got a good fight ahead of him still, but he's a fighter," said Rudd according to the Press Association.

However, Gastao Salsinha, one of the rebels and now the new leader of the rebellious group, told BBC on Thursday that Mr. Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusamo were not a target. Salsinha, who is now hiding, accuses the President’s security personnel of starting the fire fight that killed Reinado.

East Timor’s Prime Minister was also attacked but he wasn’t wounded.

Mr. Rudd, during his visit to East Timor, met Prime Minister Gusamo and the leader of the Fretilin Party Mari Alkatiri to discuss about their further cooperation. According to ABC News, Australia has already sent almost 270 soldiers and police to East Timor in order to have the situation under control there.

Moreover, Australia’s Prime Minister is willing to help East Timor in areas such as infrastructure development, rural development and last but not least youth employment. "Ensuring young people across Timor-Leste (East Timor) have a job is for business, but also this country's long-term stability,” were Kevin Rudd’s words according to BBC News.