Subject: AFP: East Timor resistance stakes claim to
Timor Gap oil
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 11:32:22 +1300
From: sonny inbaraj <ausasia@ozemail.com.au> Organization: The AustralAsianEast
Timor resistance stakes claim to its share of Timor Gap oil Sat, 25 Jul 1998 1:41:44 PDT
Agence France-Presse
JAKARTA, July 25 (AFP) - East Timor resistance leaders have called on foreign oil
companies which will soon start drawing oil from waters around the territory to give part
of the proceeds to the East Timorese people.
The National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT), in a communique delivered to AFP
here Friday, said it supported the "rights of the existing East Timor Gap
contractors, and those of the Australian government to jointly develop East Timor's
offshore oil reserves with the People of East Timor."
But it called on Canberra and the oil companies involved to "review their past
assumptions and face current realities," including the political changes in
post-Suharto Indonesia with "improved prospects" for a peaceful settlement of
the East Timor problem.
East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, was invaded by Indonesian troops in 1975, and
annexed a year later.
The companies drilling in the Elang Kakatua field, BHP, Santos, Petroz and Inpex Sahul,
announced a few days ago that they were ready to start production.
According to an agreement between Australia and Indonesia, the CNRT said, Jakarta
should reap some 130 million dollars in royalties and tax revenues from the oil recovered
over the next four or five years.
Calling the money going to the Indonesian government "an act of international
theft in collusion with the Australian government," it said the funds should be
"placed in a special trust fund for the People of East Timor" by the Timor Gap
Joint Authority.
The CNRT statement also took pains to say it would "endeavor to show the
Australian government and the Timor gap contractors that their commercial interests will
not be adversely affected by East Timorese self-determination."
The Elang Kakatua field has estimated reserves of 300 million barrels of oil and gas
reserves equivalent to 900 million barrels of oil.
It is being exploited under a joint agreement between Australia, one of the few
countries to recognize Indonesia's sovereignty over East Timor, and Indonesia.
"Timor Today" ETISC -East Timor International Support Center PO Box 651
N'cliff, Darwin Australia 0814 Bahasa Indonesia dan Inggris http://www.easttimor.com
email: etio@ozemail.com.au
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