JAKARTA (Reuters) - East Timor independence leader Xanana Gusmao said on Monday peace talks between warring Timorese factions had not lived up to expectations but were still crucial to bringing peace to his troubled homeland. Gusmao said in a speech as the talks resumed that pro-independence groups were committed to ensuring a United Nations-run vote on independence was democratic and fair. „The first days of the meeting, whilst perhaps falling short of our expectations, were of crucial importance in improving… communication,“ he said. „On our part, I reaffirm our unqualified support to contributing in all aspects in order to ensure that the consultation process is free, just and democratic.“ The talks, which began on Friday, are sponsored by the Catholic church and are aimed at ending the violence that has killed dozens of Timorese this year. But they do not include Indonesia‘s armed forces, which effectively rule East Timor and which have been accused of backing the pro-Jakarta militias responsible for most of the recent bloodshed. Outside the hotel where the talks were being held, 15 protesters waved banners attacking leading pro-independence figure Jose Ramos-Horta. Ramos-Horta was allowed to visit Indonesia to take part in the talks, the first time he has been in the country since it invaded his homeland in 1975. After being refused permission to enter the hotel, the demonstrators said they would return with reinforcements on Tuesday. „We will destroy this hotel,“ said protest leader Joao Angelo de Sousa Mota. Portugal‘s envoy to Indonesia, Ana Gomes, told the meeting the disputed territory was still too dangerous for a free and fair vote. „Today, the necessary security does not exist yet in many zones in East Timor,“ she said. „The security also depends on the East Timorese themselves and in particular on some who are here today. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan last week postponed the planned August 8 vote by at least two weeks over security fears. The territory‘s spiritual leader, Nobel peace laureate Bishop Carlos Belo, said the church must work to help unite East Timorese and achieve peace. „I call upon all delegates to work together towards a solution that will unite the people of East Timor and bring about prosperity.“ Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975. Its rule is not recognised by the United Nations or most of the international community.