'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.