Timor Gap Further Negotiations: Dont be Hinged to 90:10

Suara Timor Lorosae (second lead front page)

Bahasa Indonesia headlines Tuesday 30 January 2001 (Morning)

Francisco Guterres, the dean of UNATILs [Universistas Timor Lorosae] Faculty of Socio-Politics, said this in response to the Australian Consul James Batleys statement that there will be further negotiations this year between Australia and East Timor on the Timor Gap Treaty.

Guterres said East Timors position in the negotiations with Australia was strong. According to him, Australia had already invested a lot in the project and it was in Australian interests that production in the Gap continue.

With this state of affairs, said Guterres, East Timor will be able to renegotiate a new deal. Let us not be just stuck with the 90:10 formula, he stressed.

Guterres did not offer a new formula. However, Peter Galbraith, the UNTAET negotiator who was representing East Timor, cautiously implied that East Timor had the opportunity to fight for a full 100 per cent royalties in its further negotiations with Australia.