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BACK
DOOR Newsletter on East Timor
Timor
Oil - East Timorese Position Statements
Hahesuk
kona ba Timor nia Mina
Minyak
di Timor: pernyataan
O
Petróleo de Timor: os afirmaçãos
Action
to return East Timor's oil and gas resources.
Up-Dated: 27 Apr
2004
Return to Main
Contents:
BD:
The 2004 TIMOR OIL Collection
NEW = Added to BACK
DOOR Website within the past month
26 Apr
2005 ETNGOs: Timor
Society demands fair median line
Press release added 27 Apr 2005
"Based upon what we know about the
negotiations process, we demand that the Timor-Leste and Australian
governments do the following:
1. Request the negotiators, who will tomorrow sit
together to discuss the future of the Timorese people, to respect the
sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, and to make an
expeditious decision on the Median Line.
2. We ask the Australian government to return to the
international dispute resolution process for maritime boundaries of the
International Court for Justice and the International Court for the Law
of the Sea, and
3. To cease exploration of the Laminaria-Corallina
and other fields in the disputed territory, including the granting of
new licences. The money obtained from the exploration of these fields
should be put in a fund which can later be divided between the two
countries when agreement is reached.
4. To our government Timor-Leste: we ask that you do
not rush in obtaining an agreement for the exploration of Greater
Sunrise; it is more important that you determine a maritine boundary
and a lateral boundary based on international law, and
5. If the Australian government remains stubborn and
refuses to come to a decision on the maritime boundary based upon
international UNCLOS law, we ask the Timor-Leste government to return
the "AusAid grant" money which the Australian government gave to
Timor-Leste.
Once again, we ask that the Government of Timor-Leste assign priority
to a discussion of the Maritime Boundary, rather than that of resource
distribution with the Australian government, who are intent on the
continuing exploitation of Timor-Leste's resources." 11 East Timorese NGOs
16 Dec 2004 RN: East Timor ups ante
in oil and gas fight
Interview
added 17 Dec 2004
"If the negotiations completely break
down we certainly talk with friends around the world, not only
Hollywood but politicians, intellectuals, academics, normal people in
the streets, in Australia and around the world. ... Australia will have to explain why it
refuses to accept
jurisdiction on the international court of justice. ... We have tremendous international
support, the European Union, Commonwealth countries, Non Align
Movement, I do not know of a single country that is not sympathetic to
East Timorese situation." Jose
Ramos Horta, Foreign Minister of East Timor
29 Nov 2004 ABC:
Australia-ET relations at historic low: Horta
Interview added 2 Dec 2004
"... we have to go to the International
Court of Justice, the United Nations General Assembly to request a
non-binding adviser opinion on the whole issue [of oil and gas in the
Timor Sea]. ... [if
Australia refuses to be bound by it] it would be very damaging to
Australia's international credibility, it would really weaken
Australian stance regionally, it would be seen by the rest of the world
as such a rich, powerful country bullying the poorest country, one of
the poorest countries in the world." Jose
Ramos Horta, Foreign Minister of East Timor
3
Nov 2004 Age:
PM Alkatiri: All East Timor seeks is a fair go
Statement added 5 Nov 2004
"In
last week's talks, we were willing
to defer our right to the delimitation of a maritime boundary ... In
seeking this solution, we are not simply looking for the Australian
Government to write a cheque or to hand out quasi-aid for an extended
period. We want an outcome that underpins our national development. One
element of a fair settlement that should be given full
consideration is to pipe the Greater Sunrise gas the much shorter
distance to a processing plant on East Timor's shores. ... It is
perfectly reasonable for the government of one of the world's
poorest nations to seek an outcome that directly tackles its great need
for economic development. Darwin already has one LNG plant to process
gas from the Timor Sea, which is why one fair outcome would be to put
the second LNG plant in East Timor." Timor-Leste
Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri,
Timor Sea Office
27 Oct
2004 ET NGO Forum: Timor-Leste Civil Society Demands Fair Maritime
Boundary
Media Release added 3 Nov 2004
"Civil Society Organizations in Timor-Leste
have followed the
negotiation process concerning Timor Sea oil, held in Canberra and
Darwin, Australia, last month. ... We strongly urge the government of
Timor-Leste to give priority to the
Maritime Boundary discussions rather than negotiating the division of
resources with a government that is stealing natural resources that
rightfully belong to Timor-Leste."
HAK Association, Haburas Foundation, La’o Hamutuk, Sahe Institute for
Liberation (SIL), Kdalak Sulimutu Institute (KSI), Timor-Leste
Community Radio Association (ARKTL), Judicial System Monitoring
Program, KSTL, LAIFET, FOKUPERS, Forum Tau Matan (FTM), Timor-Leste
Students Association.
27
Oct 2004 TSO: PM Alkatiri statement on failure of talks
Media Release added 5 Nov 2004
"We put forward a range of options
that would address these various elements of a resolution to our
dispute. What the Australian Government delegation was willing to
offer and explore did not come even close to recognizing our sovereign
rights in the disputed areas. We were talking about Timor-Leste
participation in the development of the disputed resources; they were
talking about money. We were too far apart to reach agreement." Timor-Leste
Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri,
Timor Sea Office
29 Sep
2004 ET NGO Forum: Timor-Leste Civil Society Demands Fair Boundary
Media Release added 30 Sep 2004
"Civil society and people in Timor-Leste
... continue to follow the negotiations between our
government and Australia with great interest. ... the
issues being discussed in Darwin this week are among the most important
for the future of our nation. ... we urge Australia to ... :
1. Respect the national sovereignty of
the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, ...
2. ... we continue to believe that a
permanent boundary, both for the water column and the seabed, is
essential for completing our struggle for national independence. The
boundary should be based on current international legal principles,
along the median line between our two coasts, with lateral boundaries
decided according to current international law.
3. Return to the international dispute
resolution processes for maritime boundaries of the International Court
of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
4. Do not involve our future in your
nation’s politics. ... Our rights are based on international law and
moral
principles, not on Australian public opinion polls. ...
5. Respect Timor-Leste’s right to develop
our resources on a timetable that is best for our people. ...
6. Stop exploration of
Laminaria-Corallina and other fields in disputed territory, including
issuing of new licenses. Place all revenues received from such fields
in an escrow account, ..."
HAK Association, Haburas Foundation, La’o Hamutuk (East Timor Institute
for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis), FOKUPERS, LAIFET (Labor
Advocacy Institute of East Timor), Timor-Leste Community Radio
Association (ARKTL), The Mirror of the People (LABEH), Forum Tau
Matan
(FTM), Timor-Leste Students Association.
Aug-Sep 2004
TSO: Maritime Boundary Dispute
Speech added 11 Sep 2004
"It is Timor-Leste’s position that
Australia must honor the IUA [International
Unitization Agreement] if
Timor-Leste is to ratify it. What does this involve? The IUA will not
be
ratified by Timor-Leste until Australia abides by the relevant rules of
international law applicable in the relations between the parties.
* This requires Australia to:
-- commit to a satisfactory time
frame for negotiations,
-- after which either party will be
able to seek resolution of the maritime boundary dispute before a
neutral international mechanism, should agreement not have been
reached.
* Further, Australia will have to:
-- cease unilateral activity in
disputed areas in accordance with diplomatic correspondence from
Timor-Leste, or
-- take adequate interim
measures (e.g. placing revenues in escrow) to preserve Timor-Leste’s
rights in these areas pending resolution of the dispute."
Manuel de Lemos, Asst Coordinator, Timor Sea Office, Office
of the Timor-Leste Prime Minister
16 Aug 2004 AU: 'Resource Curse' Holds No
Fears for Newest Petro-Economy
Opinion updated
22 Aug 2004
" ... we have demonstrated that we are
capable of managing more substantial oil and gas revenue. ... And having lately become the world's
newest petro-economy, we are already fully apprised of the dangers of
the "resource curse", the need to manage these resources in an open and
accountable way." Jose
Ramos Horta, Foreign Minister of East Timor
"La'o Hamutuk has a less rosy view regarding the
"resource curse", which you can read on the LH website at http://www.etan.org/lh/misc/04curse.htm " Charles
Scheiner, staff member
of LH
CIITT 2004 Statement on the Timor Gap
Treaty
Statement added 5 Aug 2004
"Politically, the May 2002
Agreement
potentially jeopardises the
sovereignty of East Timor, as we will be losing territory in the Timor
Sea outside the zone of co-operation for the development of oil and gas
resources. ... [it] denies East Timor access to four
oil and gas fields (79.9% of Greater Sunrise, 100% of Corallina,
Laminaria and the Buffalo). ... [it] has not provided for a fair
participation of Timorese workforce. ... The construction of a more
costly gas
pipeline to Northern Territory instead of one to Timor is another
example of the irrational economic decision made to date." Independent
Centre for Information on the Timor Sea
20 May 2004 MKOTT: Solidarity
with Australians for Timor Sea Justice
Statement added 24 Jul 2004
"We realize that it will take
a bi-national campaign, in both East Timor
and Australia, to change the position of your government. We therefore
welcome and highly appreciate the endeavors of Australian people
joining the Timor Sea Justice Campaign to support us in the second
anniversary of our restoration of independence. As in 1999, when
thousands of people in Australia and around the world took to the
streets to urge the government to dispatch the Australian soldiers to
Timor-Leste, we now once again rely to you to change Australia's
position and support justice for the people of Timor-Leste." Movement
Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea
19
Apl 2004 MKOTT: Timor Sea Occupation
Press
Release page updated 24 Jul 2004
"[We] urge the Australian government
to: 1. Respect our independent and sovereign state. ... 2. Negotiate a
fair maritime boundary ... according to contemporary legal
principles as expressed in the United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea ... 3. Rejoin the maritime boundary dispute resolution
mechanisms of the
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the International
Court of Justice ... 4. Stop issuing new exploration licenses in seabed
territory that is
closer to Timor-Leste than to Australia ... 5. Deposit all revenues
received by the Australian government ... from fields that are closer
to Timor-Leste than they are
to Australia into an escrow account. ... Australia has already received
more than $1 billion U.S.
dollars from Laminaria-Corallina and other fields since 1999, which
should also be put into escrow." Movement
Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea
14
Apl 2004 MKOTT: Timor Sea Occupation
Statement page updated 24 Jul
2004
"The Movement Against the Occupation
of the Timor Sea was formed in
Dili, East Timor in April 2004 to help the Australian government and
people better understand how people in East Timor feel about
Australia’s violations of our rights, occupation of our maritime
territory, theft of our resources, and denial of our nationhood. We
include NGOS, individuals, and other parts of East Timor’s civil
society." Movement
Against the Occupation of the Timor
Sea (incl. La’o Hamutuk, HAK Association, Haburas Foundation, NGO
Forum, Mirror for the People (LABEH), Timor-Leste Agriculture and
Development Foundation (ETADEP), Labor Advocacy Institute for
Timor-Leste (LAIFET), Sah’e Institute for Liberation, KSI, ARI,
Proletariat Group, Sustainable Agriculture Network (HASATIL), Arte
Moris, Timor-Leste Socialist Labor (SBST), Timor-Leste Labor Union
Confederation (KSTL), Independent Center for Timor Sea Information
(CIITT), Association of Men Against Violence (AMKV), Bibi Bulak,
Student organizations
26 Jan 2004
CIITT: Timor Sea
& Australia Day
Statement updated 4 Aug 2004
" ... Such attitude reflects
Australia’s politics of double standard in its
recognition of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of RDTL, and
is a denial of the right of the East Timorese to use their resources to
develop as an independent nation. The Government of Australia commits
this shameless action just as East Timor is catching up on its
development, after centuries of colonial obstruction." CIITT -
Independent Center for Timor Sea Information
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