In an emotional speech, in which his voice cracked as he held back tears, Gusmao said East Timor would recover from the devastation and violence that followed its August 30 vote for independence.

``They tried to kill us, but we are still here, crying and suffering but still alive,'' said the man tipped to be the first President of anindependent East Timor.

``They won't destroy us. There will be sorrow, but today we are more confident because tomorrow is ours. We East Timorese people have fought for 25 years. Today we finally find our liberation.''

The 53-year-old leader, who had been expected to return this weekend, was slipped into East Timor by the UN-mandated forces (Interfet) on Thursday night. Crowds flocked from all corners of Dili to the governor's residence, standing amidst charred buildings, to hear him.

``Our homeland is ours. We will develop our new country. We know what we want and we will recover from the damage,'' Gusmao told them. ``We meet again in very sorrowful circumstance but from today nothing can stop us. Mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, be happy." Interfet commander Major General Peter Cosgrove said Gusmao, who had been in Darwin, was flown to East Timor's second city of Baucau on Thursday night and then flown to Dili. Gusmao spent almost seven years in Indonesian jails before his release lastmonth. The resistance leader was initially sentenced to life imprisonment. Earlier this year he was moved to house arrest as part of a UN-sponsored deal to settle the conflict.