'Australia must join border talks'

'Australia must join border talks'

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: The Indonesian working group for
the Timor Gap and Ashmore Reef expressed its disapproval of
suggestions by some Indonesian experts to exclude Australia from
maritime border talks over the Timor Gap.

Working group chairman Ferdi Tanoni said on Thursday the
inclusion of Australia in the talks was important as Australia
had a profit-sharing agreement with East Timor in the Timor Gap.

"No matter what the reason, Australia should be involved in
the talks on maritime borders in the Timor Gap because the area
is located within the triangle of Indonesia, Australia and East
Timor," Tanoni said.

Based on a 1999 profit-sharing agreement on oil extracted from
the Timor Sea, Australia will receive 10 percent of royalties and
East Timor, which separated from Indonesia in 1999 and became an
independent state in May 2002, will receive the remaining 90
percent. --Antara