Australia forces deferral of Timor boundary resolution

May 4, 2005
Issue 

Jon Lamb

Three days of negotiations over the disputed maritime boundary between East Timor and Australia concluded in Dili on April 29.

Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer announced that in exchange for East Timor's agreement to defer the resolution of the maritime boundary, Australia has agreed to concede a percentage of revenues from the Greater Sunrise field to East Timor. What this percentage will be has not been revealed, but according to Downer, it could add a miserly $2-$5 billion to East Timor's entitlements.

If the maritime boundary between the two countries was set according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, most if not all of Greater Sunrise would be in East Timorese territory, entitling the cash-strapped country to an expected $40-$50 billion in government royalties.

According to the April 30 Sydney Morning Herald, East Timor agreed to defer a maritime boundary agreement for 50 to 60 years.

Public protests and lobbying in Australia and East Timor intensified during the recent negotiations, adding to the growing pressure against PM John Howard's illegal grab for East Timor's oil and gas reserves.

In keeping with the government line pursued since negotiations in 1999, Downer repeated the stock-standard lies that "we've been enormously generous to East Timor" and that East Timor would not be free "if it hadn't been for the Howard government".

As supporters of East Timor have correctly pointed out, the "generosity" has come from East Timor, with the Australian government acquiring royalties in excess of $2 billion (around $1 million a day) from the Laminaria-Corallina oil field since 1999. This field, which is close to being pumped dry, lies within seabed territory that rightfully belongs to East Timor.

Another brazen lie was sprouted by Downer in comments reported by ABC Online on April 26. "It's sometimes presented to the Australian public that if we drew a median line between Australia and East Timor, East Timor would get more than they get now — that's not right", and "If you drew a median line, they may end up with a good deal less than 90% [of royalties from the JPDA — Joint Petroleum Development Agreement]".

These statements are completely false and intended to sow confusion. If the median line was the location of the maritime boundary between Australia and East Timor, then East Timor would receive 100% of the oil and gas royalties in the JPDA. In addition to this, it would almost certainly receive 100% of Greater Sunrise (which overlaps the JPDA) and 100% of Laminaria-Corallina.

A statement released by the East Timor NGO Forum on April 26 called on the Australian government "to return to the international dispute resolution process for maritime boundaries of the International Court for Justice and the International Court for the Law of the Sea" and to "cease exploration of the Laminaria-Corallina and other fields in the disputed territory, including the granting of new licences".

The statement also requested that the government of East Timor "not rush in obtaining an agreement for the exploration of Greater Sunrise; it is more important that you determine a maritime boundary and a lateral boundary based on international law".

Further discussions between the two countries will take place in Brisbane on May 11.

From Green Left Weekly, May 4, 2005.
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