East Timorese president Jose Ramos-Horta, who was the target of a rebel attack last month, received the visit of the acting leader Fernando de Araujo. After being submitted to several operations during the past three weeks, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta had a two-hour talk with Mr. Araujo at the weekend. The acting president said that Ramos-Horta was “very lucid,” but will remain in Darwin hospital for several weeks more, BBC News reports.

“The President has recovered and he is able to walk but still needs a month to take rest outside the hospital,” Mr. Araujo said.

Fernando de Araujo announced on Monday that President Ramos-Horta has forgiven the rebel leader, Alfredo Reinado, who planned his assassination. His announcement is considered as an attempt to determine the rebel soldiers to surrender. Moreover, it can be a first step to the much-needed reconciliation that could end the violence and help stabilize the country. Moreover, Ramos-Horta asked the government to look after Reinado’s family.

One of the rebels, Amaro da Costa, turned himself in at Turiscai, about 120 kilometers south of Dili. Arrest warrants have been issued for 17 people believed to have been involved in the attack, including Gastao Salsinha, the new leader of the rebels.

Last month, rebels led by Alfredo Reinado attempted to kill President Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. Ramos-Horta was seriously injured in the attacks and was rushed to Darwin, Australia for emergency medical treatment. The rebel leader was killed in the shootings. Prime Minister Gusmao was not wounded.

East Timor has been under a state of emergency since the February 11 attacks. The United Nations Security Council has decided to extend for one more year the mandate for the peacekeeping mission in East Timor, saying that the security remained fragile in the country.

East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, is Asia’s youngest nation, and it has a population of about one million inhabitants.