Dili, East Timor – East Timor continues to demand that the natural gas from the Sunrise field, in the Timor Sea, be processed in the country, East Timor's deputy Prime Minister, Jose Luis Guterres, said after a meeting in Dili with the new chairman of Australian oil company Woodside.

"We want the Sunrise pipeline to come to East Timor, as the treaty with Australia talks about the fair distribution of the resources and that those resources should benefit the people of East Timor and Australia," said Portugal's Lusa news agency citing Guterres.

Guterres said that, "there is no justification for Australia already having benefited from a pipeline for development of the gas in Darwin and that East Timor has none."

Woodside believes that processing natural gas in East Timor would cost an additional US$5 billion, compared to its preferred option of using a floating rig. The Australian company noted that, "The option of a floating gas rig is the most economically robust, maximises total revenue for Australia and East Timor and return for the Sunrise consortium."

The Dili government does not accept Woodside's proposal and demands that the gas be processed in East Timor. The difference of opinion between the two countries has dragged on for over a year. (macauhub)