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Federal Labor reaffirms promise to mend relations with East Timor
SBS News - March 22, 2016
East Timor claims that it has lost around $6.6 billion (US$5 billion) in royalties and tax revenue in the Timor Sea since independence in 1999, and it has asserted that more than $52 billion would lie in its territory if sea borders reflected the norms of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea.
The Federal Government has been accused of ignoring the dispute by East Timor officials. East Timor Prime Minister Rui Maria Araujo said she wrote to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull seeking new negotiations in early 2016, but she said Mr Turnbull replied that he was open to general talks on bilateral issues and trade, but not on the border issue.
The Labor Party affirmed that it would reopen talks with East Timor in February, but Ms Plibersek made it clear today that talks would be part of the agenda if if her party wins this year's election.
Plibersek, who is Australia's Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, told SBS the maritime boundary dispute has poisoned relations between the two countries.
"Labor wants to end more than 40 years of uncertainty over the maritime border, and make sure that the wealth of the Timor Sea can be developed and benefit future generations," she said.
"Labor in government will finally resolve the border with Timor-Leste – through talks, or through arbitration or adjudication. As a good international citizen Australia cannot hold itself above international law."
Ms Plibersek said she met East Timor's former prime minister Xanana Gusmao in March 2015, and he "did not ask for charity for Timor-Leste – he asked for justice". "That is what Labor's proposal is about," Ms Plibersek said.
Mr Gusmao made a speech earlier this week, calling for Timorese to "stand firm and raise one voice" to demand that Australia comes to the table to negotiate new sea boundaries.
An organiser of today's protests, Tomas Freitas said: "This is a struggle increasingly seen by Timorese people as necessary to complete our independence from foreign domination." (AAP)
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