'Give Dili control over Timor Gap oil'

'Give Dili control over Timor Gap oil'

By Angela Romano

BRISBANE, Australia (JP): A senior Australian politician
called on Indonesia on Thursday to pass control of Timor Gap oil
resources, valued at billions of dollars, to the Timorese as a
stepping stone toward self-determination.

Opposition Foreign Affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton made the
call during a speech on Australia's policy on East Timor, in
which he described the attitude of previous Australian
governments on the region as "stupid, naive and terribly,
terribly unfortunate".

Brereton opposed the current Australian government policy,
announced last month, that supports an act of self-determination
in East Timor, but maintains East Timor's future would be best
secured by remaining within Indonesia.

There was a very real possibility that Indonesia would
effectively "walk away" from East Timor very soon, despite
Foreign Minister Ali Alatas's statements to the contrary, he
said.

A key to East Timorese independence would rely on control over
the region's natural resources, and thus Indonesia should allow
East Timor to "stand in the shoes of Indonesia in respect of the
Timor Gap Treaty," Brereton said.

Brereton urged the Australian Government to press Jakarta to
allocate Indonesia's share of oil and gas revenue to East Timor
and to allow representation of an autonomous East Timorese
administration on the ministerial council governing the Timor
Gap.

Timorese control of the seabed resources would contribute
significantly to the economic position of an independent East
Timorese state, he said.

The 1991 Timor Gap Treaty divides the oil-rich seabed boundary
between Australia and Indonesia into three zones governing the
distribution of profits from the Gap's natural resources.

BHP Petroleum began commercial oil production in the oil
fields last July, with revenues divided 50-50 between Australia
and Indonesia. BHP plans to commence production from a new US$1.5
billion natural gas/condensate project in 2002.

The Indonesia-Australia treaty, described by former Australian
foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans as "the most substantial
bilateral agreement ever reached between our two countries", will
remain in force until February 2031.

A BHP spokesman said it would not be appropriate for his
company to comment publicly because the matter was an issue for
government and not business to consider.

On other issues of Australian policy in East Timor, Brereton
called for a re-establishment of an Australian consulate in Dili
and the presence of a special representative on East Timor to
independently investigate reports of conflict and human rights
abuses.

"The Indonesian military's arming of pro-integrationalist
militias has the potential to create a self-fulfilling prophecy
of civil war.

"Establishment of an independent and effective international
monitoring presence in East Timor would allow dialog and
negotiation to proceed in an environment characterized by
transparency, improved confidence and trust," he said.

Australia should contribute by helping to initiate a United
Nations peacekeeping plan for East Timor and by providing
assistance in the fields of human rights, health, education,
public administration and infrastructure building, he said.

Brereton said the dramatic changes occurring in Indonesian
politics allowed Australia a historic opportunity to improve its
record on East Timor.

"The story of Australia's policy toward East Timor is a sorry
tale that reflects little credit on either side of politics. Some
200,000 people have perished there over the past quarter of a
century. Surely we could have done better," he said.