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Timor-Leste welcomes conciliation commission's decision on Timor Sea boundary dispute
Dili Weekly - September 30, 2016
Spokesperson for the government, Minister of State Agio Pereira said the government considered it a very positive decision. "This process is an opportunity to set a good example in our region," he said in a press statement.
"We will engage with respect for the commission and its recommendations, ever conscious of the importance of maintaining the best possible relationship with our close neighbor Australia."
Meanwhile, Timor-Leste's Chief Negotiator, Minister Xanana Gusmao, thanked the efforts of the commissioners for their ruling.
"Just as we fought so hard and suffered so much for our independence, Timor-Leste will not rest until we have our sovereign rights over both land and sea," said Gusmao.
At a two-and-a-half-hour hearing on August 29 at the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague in the Netherlands, Australia argued the commission had no jurisdiction to hear cases related to maritime boundaries.
The commission will now proceed as described in annex V of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to hear and examine the claims of both parties and their objections, with the view to reaching an amicable settlement in the case.
National MP Arao Noe Amaral said the conciliation process was based on an agreement between Timor-Leste and Australia under international law. However, he said was concerned that Australia only started to question the commission's legality when it was about to make a decision in the case.
"This is not fair, how come they (Australia) didn't raise their concerns from the start when the commission was created?" he said. "Australia's decision isn't fair, if we agree to form this commission from the start and then we go back [on this agreement], this isn't fair."
However, he was optimistic the commission would find in favor of Timor-Leste. "Sooner or later Timor will win, [we will] win our rights, not because they are other people's rights," he said.
Meanwhile, President of the Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea (MKOTT) Juvinal Dias Marcal called on both parties to respect the process and let the commission lead the hearing independently.
"This is a better way to prevent political intervention and pressure and to ensure the decision is based on the facts that the commission finds during this judgment process," he said.
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