Quotes of the Day

EAST TIMOR:
International law says that when two states are less than 400 nautical miles (750 km) apart, the maritime boundary should be the line of equidistance.

AUSTRALIA:
That's wrong, because this area is unique. The 1958 U.N. Convention on the Continental Shelf is the guiding principle. The sea bed in the Timor Sea has a huge steep cleft called the Timor Trough - 550 nautical miles long, 40 n. mi. wide and as deep as 3,000 m. The two countries sit on different shelves.

EAST TIMOR:
That's a poor argument. If you had not pulled out of the International Court of Justice for disputes of this kind, we could have legal arbitration that would determine the validity of the two claims.

AUSTRALIA:
We prefer to settle our maritime boundaries through negotiation.

EAST TIMOR:
So why don't you speed up these talks so that we meet monthly instead of twice a year?

AUSTRALIA:
Because we currently have a number of negotiations with other countries on a range of issues. Our administrative system requires a great deal of consultation between the government and bureaucracy. Besides, maritime boundaries are permanent, and there's no point in rushing these talks.

EAST TIMOR:
If this issue takes many years to resolve, there will be no oil and gas resources left for us in the disputed areas. Why don't you stop exploiting those fields? And please stop issuing new exploration licenses.

AUSTRALIA:
But they are Australia's resources. We have been deriving a benefit from the area for many years.

EAST TIMOR:
But if you want to negotiate in good faith, you have to show restraint. There is a real possibility that when the boundaries are eventually settled, the resources will be gone. If you do not hold the revenue in trust, you are denying us the potential enjoyment of our rights when our claim is upheld.

AUSTRALIA:
If we stop exploitation and exploration, we would be seen as recognizing the validity of your claim. And, of course, we don't.

EAST TIMOR:
You were only able to exploit those resources in the Timor Gap because you negotiated a good deal with Indonesia while it was illegally occupying our country. It was a political solution, not a legal one. As soon as we achieved independence, all bets were off.

AUSTRALIA:
That area in the Timor Gap is now the Joint Petroleum Development Area. The Timor Sea Treaty gives you 90% of the taxes and royalties and that's very generous.

EAST TIMOR:
You know that is only a temporary agreement and that we've always claimed petroleum fields that are much closer to East Timor than Australia. A permanent boundary along the median line would place the JPDA entirely on our side. As well, we are fully entitled to the Laminaria and Greater Sunrise areas under international law.

AUSTRALIA:
Oh, come on!

EAST TIMOR:
No, you come on.

• There is no official record of the April 19-22 talks in Dili, but participants have explained the arguments to Time. Here's a summary of what was said at the secretive meeting.