news release
from
Barney Frank
Congressman, 4th District, Massachusetts
Washington Office:
2252 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-5931
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Peter Kovar 202-225-9400

March 9, 2004

FRANK LEADS FIGHT FOR EAST TIMOR'S RIGHT TO RESOURCES IN TIMOR SEA

Yesterday, 53 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to the Australian government urging it to move fairly and expeditiously in negotiations with neighboring East Timor to determine a permanent maritime boundary between the two countries.

The poorest country in Southeast Asia, East Timor could benefit from large gas reserves that lie under the sea that separates it from
Australia. In 2002, East Timor's parliament passed a maritime boundaries law claiming a 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone in all directions, and the Timorese government, with the backing of the United Nations, announced that it wanted to negotiate a permanent maritime boundary with Australia.

The Australian government agreed to begin talks last November but declined to accept a timetable or an end date for resolving the
issue. In their letter to the Australian prime minister, the federal lawmakers urge Australia "to move seriously and expeditiously in
negotiations with East Timor to establish a fair, permanent maritime boundary and an equitable sharing of oil and gas resources in the Timor Sea."

The letter was organized by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and was signed by 53 of his House colleagues, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the Democratic leader; Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the International Relations Committee; Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a senior member of the International Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific; and other members who have been strong supporters of East Timor.

Frank added, "A fair agreement on permanent boundaries, and the ability to derive revenues from the development of offshore petroleum and other resources, is essential to East Timor's ability to rebuild its nation, alleviate mass poverty, and avoid long-term dependence on foreign aid."

A copy of the letter is enclosed.

March 8, 2004

The Honorable John Howard
Office of the Australian Prime Minister
3-5 National Circuit
Barton, ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA

Dear Prime Minister Howard:

As members of the U.S. House of Representatives who are strong supporters of East Timor, we write to urge your country to move
seriously and expeditiously in negotiations with East Timor to establish a fair, permanent maritime boundary and an equitable sharing of oil and gas resources in the Timor Sea.

We recognize the critical role your country played in East Timor's fight for independence, and we know your diplomatic efforts were instrumental in prompting the dialogue between Indonesian officials and East Timorese nationalists that led to the vote for independence.

Australia's commitment to regional security, and its concern for East Timor in particular, was also evident when you indicated last June that Australian troops might remain in East Timor for years to prevent the country from "coming under unacceptable strain and perhaps collapse."

As the poorest country in Southeast Asia, East Timor's dependence on foreign aid is one factor that keeps it from consolidating its stability and economic development, which of course adds greatly to the strain the country continues to face. This is why we support the statement our colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee included in its report that accompanied this year's foreign aid bill underscoring how important the negotiations over the maritime boundary and the petroleum reserves are to the future economic development and security of East Timor.

We also join our Senate colleagues in urging both governments to engage in good faith negotiations to resolve their maritime boundary in accordance with international legal principles, and we hope both governments will agree to a legal process for an impartial resolution if the boundary dispute cannot be settled by negotiation.

We also urge you to heed Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri's call to conclude negotiations within three to five years. We were pleased that a
preliminary meeting between your two governments was held in November, but we were disappointed by your government's insistence that bilateral meetings on the boundary be semi-annual and encourage you to hold them monthly, as requested by East Timor.

Finally, given the overlapping claims of the two countries, we would strongly hope that any revenue from disputed areas on East Timor's side of the median line but outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area defined in the Timor Sea Treaty be held in escrow until a permanent boundary is established.

We trust your country's commitment to the freedom and security of East Timor will include recognition of East Timor's territorial integrity and its right to a swift, permanent resolution of the maritime boundary dispute.

REP. BARNEY FRANK
REP. NANCY PELOSI
REP. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH
REP. TOM LANTOS
REP. HOWARD L. BERMAN
REP. PHIL ENGLISH
REP. GARY L. ACKERMAN
REP. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY
REP. DONALD M. PAYNE
REP. CAROLYN B. MALONEY
REP. SHERROD BROWN
REP. WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT
REP. ROBERT WEXLER
REP. MAURICE D. HINCHEY
REP. RAUL M. GRIJALVA
REP. LANE EVANS
REP. TAMMY BALDWIN
REP. JAMES P. McGOVERN
REP. DALE E. KILDEE
REP. JOHN W. OLVER
REP. EDOLPHUS TOWNS
REP. CHARLES B. RANGEL
REP. DENNIS J. KUCINICH
REP. PATRICK J. KENNEDY
REP. JAMES R. LANGEVIN
REP. JIM McDERMOTT
REP. RAHM EMANUEL
REP. HENRY A. WAXMAN
REP. NITA M. LOWEY
REP. JULIA CARSON
REP. ANTHONY D. WEINER
REP. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER
REP. MAJOR R. OWENS
REP. MICHAEL M. HONDA
REP. DENNIS A. CARDOZA
REP. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO
REP. NEIL ABERCROMBIE
REP. JOHN LEWIS
REP. FORTNEY PETE STARK
REP. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI
REP. BARBARA LEE
REP. DANNY K. DAVIS
REP. ED PASTOR
REP. PETER A. DeFAZIO
REP. ROBERT E. ANDREWS
REP. BOBBY L. RUSH
REP. JOHN F. TIERNEY
REP. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE
REP. JERROLD NADLER
REP. NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ
REP. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
REP. MICHAEL R. McNULTY
REP. EARL BLUMENAUER