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.