RI-Australia talks proposed

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Mines and Energy Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Thursday the Indonesia government wanted to discuss its sea boundaries with Australia following the secession of East Timor from Indonesia.

Bambang said the sea boundaries should be redefined to take into account the exploration of oil and gas under the Timor Gap treaty, which has been transferred to the UN and Australia and outside of Indonesian territory.

"The termination of the Timor Gap treaty should be followed with how we should determine the sea boundaries between the two countries," Bambang said.

He said Indonesia had transferred its authority under the 1989 Timor Gap treaty to the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) after it gave up its rule over East Timor.

Australia and UNTAET are now drawing up a new Timor Gap treaty.

Bambang said Indonesia and Australia were currently negotiating the allocation of Timor Gap profits generated before Indonesia relinquished its rule in East Timor and over compensation for retrenched Indonesian workers employed in the Timor Gap. (rid)