East Timor, Australia still apart after first round of sea border talks

East Timor, Australia still apart after first round of sea border talks

Agence France-Presse
Dili

East Timor on Friday accused Australia of dragging its feet in
negotiations to settle their maritime border after a first round
of talks ended without any apparent agreement.

Billions of dollars in offshore oil and gas revenues are at
stake in the talks, which began on Monday in the East Timor
capital and wound up on Thursday.

Australia wants to keep the border which was agreed with
Jakarta after Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975. This would
give it the lion's share of reserves.

East Timor, which became independent in 2002, says the border
should lie at the mid-point between the two countries.

Peter Galbraith, head of Dili's negotiating team, said
Canberra has proposed the next meeting be held in Australia in
September even though East Timor wants monthly meetings.

East Timor claims it is losing a million dollars a day due to
what it calls Australia's illegal exploitation of resources in a
disputed area of the Greater Sunrise field.

"What is unfair is that is Australia has so far refused to
negotiate in a manner that will bring a conclusion any time
soon," Galbraith told a press conference.

"It has tried to block a court from considering it, and
continued to take resources found in the disputed area."

He urged Canberra either to reverse its refusal to accept
international arbitration or to stop the exploitation until a
final agreement is reached.

"I can promise you that there is only one reason you try to
stay out of a court, and that is because you think you will lose
in court," Galbraith said.

In March 2002 Australia withdrew from the International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea before the dispute reached the
arbiter. East Timor Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri described this
at the time as "a hostile act".

East Timor was Asia's poorest nation upon independence.