Canberra – The Labor Party and Australian Democrats are urging Australia to change its national boundaries with East Timor to help the struggling country gain financial independence.

Negotiations began today in Dili between Australia and the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) over the Timor Gap treaty.

The treaty, which was originally struck between Australia and Indonesia without East Timorese input, divides up the rich gas and oil resources of the gap.

But East Timor, dependent on foreign aid for its entire budget, would benefit by hundreds of millions of dollars if it gained more access to the gap's resources by a shift in the boundary between itself and Australia. Already UNTAET has warned it will take Australia to International Court of Justice if negotiations do not favour East Timor.

Labor foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton said it appeared the government was going to take a less than generous approach to the negotiations. He said Labor backed a boundary between Australia and East Timor equi-distant from both nations. "Such a settlement would place major gas and petroleum reserves within East Timor's maritime boundaries and constitute a just outcome consistent with the law of the sea," he said in a statement.

Democrats' foreign affairs spokesperson Vicki Bourne said she favoured a proposal which would give 90 per cent of all revenue from gap development to East Timor. "Revenue from the resources in the Timor Gap will contribute a substantial and long-term income to the East Timorese economy," she said. "The Timor Gap negotiations provide Australia with a timely opportunity to make a meaningful and tangible commitment to East Timor's future economic viability."

But backing a boundary based on the law of the sea would throw out Australia's international boundaries with Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It may also pave the way for challenges to Australian fishing waters. A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said Australia was entering into the negotiations in good faith.

[On the same day, Reuters news service quoted Downer as saying that Australia could tie the issue of royalties in the Timor Sea to the future level of development aid it has earmarked for the emerging country. "The extent to which East Timor itself is able to get the royalties, or a share of the royalties, the size of its share, plays into the overall size of the Australian aid programme in East Timor and so on," Downer said. "So there are a lot of issues tied up together here." - James Balowski.]

'TNI involved in training and sharing weapons'

Bali Post - October 9, 2000

Kupang – The existence of pro-integration militia now joined in Forces for the Integration Struggle (PPI) appear to have been a TNI initiative. At least 1,200 PPI member were trained in Ailiu before the referendum. There were also given standard fire arms from TNI.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister and Minister of Defense along with Udayana TNI Commander has asked that the confession be completed with evidence.

This confession was made in dialogue with Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab and Minister of Defense, Dr. Mahfud, on Sunday in Atambua. The meeting, which was also attended by staff of the two departments and Udayana Commander, Maj. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri, was held in the framework of gathering field data as material for the report of the two ministers who are to meet with the UN Security Council at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday.

Militia representative from Untas, Juanico, explained to reporters that the statement was made to the Minister of Defense and Foreign Minister after militia were no longer willing to stand the suffering as a result of being cornered by the Indonesian government. Not even one of the sweet promises made when they signed up to be militia members through to following training and being given weapons had been fulfilled. "Now it is precisely the militia who are seen as the ones who incite chaos and are let to wander just like that," he continued.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Defense of Commander Kiki, who were asked for confirmation, asked that the militia not just speak but to indicate evidence of TNI involvement and breaking of their promises. This was immediately responded to positively by Juanico who promised he would immediately put forward a request to TNI Headquarters to ask for explanations from former army commanders in East Timor, from the level of the infantry to the city and regencies.

"The militia were certainly trained and given weapons," he said while pointing to evidence that organic weapons that have been surrendered and confiscated during the Komodo I sweeping operation are the same type as used by TNI. According to the Minister of Defense, ex-East Timor militia must put forward evidence that they were trained and armed by TNI because with that evidence, all TNI members who were involved in this deviation will be processed according to the law. "We need a legal subject and object to process this further," he said.