Portugal case 'misdirected'

Portugal case 'misdirected'

CANBERRA (Agencies): Portugal's case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against an Australian oil treaty with Indonesia is "cynically misdirected", an Australian Foreign Affairs department spokesman said yesterday.

Public hearings into Portugal's case against the treaty, which covers the area known as the Timor Gap between Australia and East Timor, are due to begin on Jan. 30.

"If it's about self-determination (in East Timor), then Portugal is fairly cynically misdirected," the spokesman told Reuters. "Portugal's real dispute over East Timor is with Indonesia."

East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, integrated into Indonesia in 1976. Portugal is challenging Australia's right to conclude an agreement over East Timor with Indonesia, because East Timor still remains an issue at the United Nations.

"It's ironic that Portugal is trying to present itself as the champion of the East Timor people given its appalling colonial record in East Timor," the spokesman said.

Foreign Minister Gareth Evans said last year that Portugal's attitude was regrettable and misconceived. He said then that Australia was confident of winning the case.

The treaty, designed to share in the exploitation of possible oil reserves in the 61,000 square kilometer Timor Gap, was implemented in 1991 and allows Australia and Indonesia to prospect the area for over 40 years.

The Gap is divided into three zones -- one Australian, one Indonesian and one shared zone -- for the purposes of oil and gas exploration and development.

Estimates of potential oil reserves of at least one billion barrels were freely bandied about in the media before the first well went down in the Gap. Initial drilling results were patchy but recent oil finds suggest the Gap may turn out to be as rich as it was hyped to be.