Australian Defense Force Chief Angus Houston said Friday that Australian troops deployed in Timor- Leste will try to create the conditions for discussions and negotiations by separating the fighting factions.

Australia decided on Thursday to send troops to Timor-Leste at its request for military assistance to help restore order following continuing fighting between government troops and rebel soldiers in the Timor-Leste capital of Dili.

Several hundred Australian troops have already arrived in Timor- Leste and the remainder of the promised 1,300 Australian troops would be there by the end of the weekend.

Houston said Australian troops already had exerted a calming influence on Timor-Leste's capital of Dili since first arriving Thursday, warning the city remained unstable and dangerous.

"Essentially we are going in with a policy of disengagement. We will be going in to separate the warring factions and we will be completely neutral in that endeavor," he told reporters here.

"It is absolutely imperative that we adopt that approach because if we don't we won't achieve our mission," he said.

"So it's all about separating the factions, getting them into their barracks, creating cantonments, having a well-managed process for weapons and then creating the conditions for discussions, negotiations in a sensible way to resolve the problems," he said.

"We want to be the impartial party, the honest broker, somebody that everybody trusts, somebody who is able to essentially establish a stable environment," he said.

Meanwhile, it was reported that Australian soldiers in Timor- Leste can resort to lethal force under their rules of engagement, which specify in what circumstances troops can open fire.

But Houston said that force can only be used when absolutely necessary.

Source: Xinhua