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East Timor Claims Disputed Oil & Gas Fields Under Int'l Law
Asia Pulse Pte Ltd 12/10/2003
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=9884
CANBERRA, Dec 10 Asia Pulse - East Timor today accused Australia of
pocketing billions of dollars worth of oil and gas which belonged to the
impoverished nation.
East Timorese Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Ramos-Horta said three gas and
oil fields dividing the two nations under the sea - Buffalo, Laminaria and
Corralina - belonged to East Timor under international law.
He also claimed the Greater Sunrise field - most of which is outside the
joint development treaty between Australia and East Timor - belonged solely
to East Timor and could earn the tiny nation billions of dollars.
Dr Ramos-Horta also accused Australia of deliberately dragging out talks on
a permanent maritime boundary between the two nations, which would settle
each country's share of the oil and gas field.
"The Australian side has agreed to have two meetings a year, we would prefer
to have more regular meetings, maybe once a month but from what I've read in
some publications the Australian side has said it can not afford to have ...
more than two meetings," he told the National Press Club.
"If Australia says it doesn't have money, doesn't have resources for more
than two meetings a year, who am I to doubt it?"
Dr Ramos-Horta joked he could call in the United Nations to help Australia
become more economically viable.
He said Australia had made about $US1.5 billion ($A2.03 billion) from the
Buffalo, Laminaria and Corralina fields while the Greater Sunrise field
would yield billions of dollars.
Australia claimed 80 per cent of Greater Sunrise under the terms of a
maritime treaty signed with Indonesia when it occupied East Timor.
"If we follow the middle-line approach, the entire Sunrise (field is) under
East Timor," Dr Ramos-Horta said.
"Accordingly to many experts, Greater Sunrise would yield billions of
dollars for Timor L'esta.
"It's our view that these fields - Buffalo, Laminaria and Corralina - that
have been ... under Australian licences rightly are part of East Timor
sovereign rights."
Dr Ramos-Horta predicted there would be some tumultuous discussions in the
next few months between Australia and East Timor over a maritime boundary.
"The difficulty it that the Timor side believes firmly that some areas of
the gas and oil in the Timor Sea belong exclusively to the Timorese side,"
he said.
"(Foreign Minister) Alexander Downer believes exactly the opposite."
Dr Ramos-Horta said he hoped Australia would refrain from signing any new
licences before there was a resolution on a maritime boundary.
"What I believe firmly is our claims are solely grounded on international
law, that's our only strength," he said.
