Terminasaun Tratadu CMATS no nia implikasaun ba Timor-Leste

Hosi Juvinal Dias, La'o Hamutuk

Artigu ida ne'e publika ona iha Timor Post no Independente iha loron 11 Fevereiru 2013. PDF bele print

Introdusaun

Durante semana rua ikus ne’e, media lokál barak mak haló kobertura kona-ba Tratadu CMATS (Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea/Aranjamentu Maritima balu iha Tasi Timor), Ministru Petróleu Rekursu Naturais hateten katak Timor-Leste atu hili opsaun hodi termina tratadu ne’e.

Nune’e liu hosi artigu ida ne’e, ami hakarak atu esplika kontextu hosi Tratadu CMATS no esplika vantajen no dezvantajen bainhira Timor-Leste deside atu termina ka kontinua hodi mantén tratadu ne’e hafoin 23 Fevreiru. Ami espera artigu ida ne’e bele fó benefísiu ba leitór sira hodi komprende liu tan asuntu ida ne’e.

Istória Tasi Timor dezde 1972

Debates kona-ba Sunrise hahú kedas iha tinan 1972 bainhira Australia no Indonézia halo akordu “Estabelesimentu Fronteira Maritima/Establishing Certain Seabed Boundaries” lahó envolvimentu Portugal nudár administradór ba Timor-Portuguese. Tratadu ida ne’ebé fó oportunidade ba Australia atu okupa parte boot hosi area maritima iha Tasi Timor.

Tanba la inklui Portugal, akordu ida ne’e la konsege deside fronteira entre Australia no Timor-Portuguese, nune’e sira husik “area tasi” ne’e ho naran “Timor Gap”. Hafoin Australia no Indonézia asina tratadu ne’e, Kompañia Woodside hosi Australia deskobre kampu gas no petróleu Sunrise no Troubadour iha tinan 1974, kampu rua ne’e mak koletivamente bolu ho naran “Greater Sunrise.”

Implications for Timor-Leste of Terminating the CMATS Treaty

By Juvinal Dias, La’o Hamutuk

Translated from a Tetum article printed in the Timor Post and Independente newspapers on 11 February 2013. Printable PDF

Introduction

During the last two weeks, many Timor-Leste media have covered the CMATS (Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea) Treaty, reporting that Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Alfredo Pires said that Timor-Leste will chose to terminate this Treaty.

Through this article, we would like to explain the context of the CMATS Treaty and explore the advantages and disadvantages if Timor-Leste terminates or continues to uphold the Treaty after 23 February. We hope this article will help readers understand this issue better.

Timor Sea history since 1972

Debates about Sunrise began soon after 1972, when Australia and Indonesia signed a Treaty “Establishing Certain Seabed Boundaries” without involving Portugal, which was then administrator of Portuguese Timor. This Treaty allowed Australia to occupy the largest part of the Timor Sea’s maritime area.

Because it did not include Portugal, this treaty could not set the boundary near Portuguese Timor, thereby creating the “Timor Gap” in the boundary line. In 1974, soon after the Treaty came into force, the Australian company Woodside discovered the Sunrise and Troubadour gas and oil fields, now collectively known as “Greater Sunrise.”

Prinsipiu legal internasionál tuir UNCLOS 1982, United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea/Konvensaun Nasoins Unidas kona-ba Lei Tasi nian fó sai katak atu sukat fronteira maritima entre nasaun rua tenke marka ho liña klaran (Median Line), metade entre tasi ibun, bainhira entre nasaun rua nia Zona Ekonómiku Eskluzivu nian kobre parsialmente (overlap). Infelizmente Australia lakohi atu aplika uza prinsipiu ne’e iha Tasi Timor. Karik uza “Median Line” 100% hosi kampu gas no petróleu iha Bayu Undan, Greater Sunrise, Laminaria no Corallina parte territóriu Timor-Leste, hanesan mapa iha leten hatudu (area kinur).

Timor-Leste foin ratifika UNCLOS iha Janeiru 2013 no Australia rasik dezde 1994, maibé unilateramente iha Marsu 2002 Australia retira ona hosi prosesu rezolusaun mandatóriu atu rezolve disputa fronteira maritima iha UNCLOS 1982, fulan rua antes Timor-Leste restora nia independénsia, hodi hatudu katak Australia lakohi iha prosesu legal mandatóriu atu rezolve kestaun sira ne’e, ne’ebé Canberra prefere atu halo ida ne’e liu hosi negosiasaun.

Australia nia interese

La’ós ona sai segredu katak Australia aseita duni invazaun ilegál Indonézia mai Timor-Leste tanba hakarak atu fahe reseita hosi atividade petrolíferu iha area Tasi Timor ho Indonézia. Polítika oportunismu Australia nian ne’e tenke selu karun ho vida povu Timor rihun atus rua. Canberra no Jakarta asina Tratadu Timor Gap iha 1989 atu hadalan eksploitasaun petróleu no gas, estabelese Zona Kooperasaun (ZOCA) ne’ebé ohin loron ita rekoñese nudár JPDA (Joint Petroleum Development Area/Area Konjunta ba Dezenvolvimentu Petróleu).

Iha 1995, Indonézia no Australia asina Kontratu ho kompañia Woodside no Shell atu dezenvolve kampu Greater Sunrise, kampu ne’ebé 20% iha area JPDA no 80% iha territóriu ne’ebé Australia reklama. Maske nune’e, kontratu sira ne’e ikus mai la vale hafoin Timor-Leste hetan independénsia. Nune’e iha 2003, Autoridade Designada Tasi Timor (TSDA) asina kontratu foun ho kompañia Woodside, Shell, ConocoPhillips no Osaka Gas.

Tuir Tratadu Tasi Timor 2002, Timor-Leste hetan direitu 90% hosi reseita petróleu (Upstream revenue) hosi area JPDA, no Australia hetan de’it 10%. Maibé tuir Tratadu CMATS, reseita hosi kampu Greater Sunrise tomak ne’e (80% ketak hosi JPDA) fahe hanesan entre nasaun rua ne’e. Maske fahe reseita ho hanesan, maibé Australia mak hetan benefísiu boot tebes duke Timor-Leste.

Istória hatudu katak dezde kleur ona Australia iha interese boot atu haluan sira nia asesu ba kampu mina-rai no gas iha Tasi Timor, hetan porsaun boot liu duke ida ne’ebé sira merese tuir prinsipiu legal internasionál. Australia uza aproximasaun hanesan atu okupa territóriu tasi nasaun viziñu sira nian, uza negosiasaun bilateral ne’ebé fó valor ba nasaun ho podér ekonómiku no polítiku ne’ebé boot. Iha ezemplu barak: ZOCA, Greater Sunrise, Laminaria-Corallina no Buffalo, kazu Ashmore Reef, kazu fronteira ho Nova Zelándia no ho kazu disputa ho viziñu sira balu iha area Antartika.

Ba kazu espesífiku ho Timor-Leste, maske Tratadu Tasi Timor ne’e asina iha 2002, maibé foin vigora iha 2003 bainhira Australia konsege obriga Timor-Leste hodi asina Akordu Unitizasaun Internasionál (IUA) atu fasilita dezenvolvimentu Greater Sunrise.

Australia hakarak duni atu dezenvolve Greater Sunrise, no sira hatene katak Timor-Leste nudár nasaun foun ho situasaun ekonómiku ne’ebé fraku, presiza duni Bayu Undan lalais atu finansia atividade estadu nian. Nune’e Australia adia atu ratifika Tratadu Tasi Timor to’o Timor-Leste asina Akordu Unitizasaun Internasionál ba Greater Sunrise iha 2003. Iha tempu ne’ebá Governu Timor-Leste sente katak presaun Australia nian la justu no hanesan hanehan tiha Timor-Leste, no Timor-Leste rejeita atu ratifika ida ne’e. Ikus mai, Akordu Unitizasaun Internasionál ne’e ratifika hosi Parlamentu iha 2007, no iha tempu ne’ebé hanesan nasaun rua ne’e ratifika Tratadu CMATS.

International legal principles under UNCLOS, the 1982 United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, say that the maritime boundary between two countries whose Exclusive Economic Zones overlap should be drawn along the Median Line, halfway between their coastlines. Unfortunately, Australia has refused to apply this principle in the Timor Sea. If a Median Line boundary were used, 100% of the Bayu-Undan, Greater Sunrise and Laminaria-Corallina oil and gas fields would be in Timor-Leste’s territory, as shown in the yellow area on the map.

Timor-Leste became a party to UNCLOS in January 2013, and Australia has been one since 1994. However, in March 2002, Australia unilaterally withdrew from UNCLOS dispute resolution processes for resolving boundary disputes, two months before Timor-Leste restored its sovereignty. This shows Australia’s dislike for mandatory legal processes to settle such questions, which Canberra prefers to do by negotiation.

Australia’s interests

It’s no secret that Australia went along with Indonesia’s illegal invasion of Timor-Leste in order to share the proceeds of Timor Sea petroleum exploitation. This Australian political opportunism cost Timor-Leste dearly, taking the lives of 200,000 of our people. Canberra and Jakarta signed the Timor Gap Treaty in 1989 to enable the oil and gas to be extracted, establishing a Zone of Cooperation (ZOCA) which is today called the Joint Petroleum Development Area.

In 1995, Indonesia and Australia signed contracts with Woodside and Shell to develop the Greater Sunrise field, which lies 20% inside the JPDA and 80% in territory claimed by Australia. However, these contracts became invalid after Timor-Leste became independent. Therefore in 2003, The Australia-Timor-Leste Timor Sea Designated Authority (TSDA) signed new contracts for Sunrise with Woodside, Shell, ConocoPhillips and Osaka Gas.

Under the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty, Timor-Leste receives 90% of the extraction (upstream) revenues from petroleum fields inside the JPDA, and Australia gets 10%. But under the CMATS Treaty, revenues from the entire Greater Sunrise field (80% of which is outside the JPDA) will be shared equally between the two nations. Even though the upstream revenues are the same, Australia is likely to benefit more than Timor-Leste.

History shows that Australia has long prioritized expanding its access to oil and gas fields in the Timor Sea, getting a bigger share than its entitlement under international legal principles. Australia uses the same approach to its other maritime neighbors, using bilateral negotiations which reward the country with the greater political and economic power. There are many examples: the ZOCA, Greater Sunrise, Laminaria-Corallina, Buffalo, Ashmore Reef, its boundary with New Zealand, and several neighbors around Antarctica.

In the specific Timor-Leste case, although the Timor Sea Treaty was signed in 2002, it only came into force in 2003 after Australia pressured Timor-Leste to sign the Sunrise International Unitization Agreement (IUA) to facilitate Sunrise development.

Australia really wanted to develop Greater Sunrise, and they knew that Timor-Leste, as a new nation with a weak economy, needed Bayu-Undan quickly to finance state activities. Therefore, Australia delayed ratifying the Timor Sea Treaty until Timor-Leste signed the IUA in March 2003. At the time, Timor-Leste’s government felt it had signed the IUA under duress, and declined to ratify it. Timor-Leste’s Parliament finally ratified the IUA four years later, at the same time both nations ratified the CMATS Treaty in 2007.

Provizaun hosi Tratadu CMATS

Tratadu CMATS ne’e asina hosi Timor-Leste no Australia atu fasilita esploitasaun petróleu no gas iha Tasi Timor iha area ne’ebé la parte hosi JPDA. Tratadu ida ne’e ema rekoñese mós nudár “Akordu Sunrise”, tanba tratadu ida ne’e atu fahe reseita petróleu (upstream revenues) hosi kampu Greater Sunrise ba nasaun tua ho hanesan (50:50).

Tratadu ida ne’e prevene Timor-Leste no Australia atu ko’alia kona-ba fronteira maritima ka foti asuntu ne’e iha kualkér dalan ka liu hosi mekanizmu ruma. Tratadu ne’e blokeia oportunidade ba Timor-Leste atu hetan nia direitu to kampu petróleu no gas maran tiha. Ida ne’e no fó oportunidade ba Australia atu nauk osan petróleu no gas liu hosi okupa territóriu tasi okos (seabed), hanesan Laminaria-Corallina.

Provizaun Tratadu ne’e fó abrigu katak sei laiha kualkér asaun hodi ko’alia kona-ba fronteira maritima durante periodu tinan 50 nia laran. Maske, durasaun Tratadu ne’e bele habadak hosi parte ida hosi nasaun rua ne’e bainhira órgaun reguladór hosi Australia no Timor-Leste la aprova Planu Dezenvolvimentu ba kampu Greater Sunrise nian iha tinan neen nia laran hafoin Tratadu CMATS vigora, katak 23 Fevreiru 2013. Kualkér tempu hafoin data ne’e, parte Timor-Leste ka Australia bele fó notifikasaun hodi husu atu termina tratadu ida ne’e, ne’ebé sei vigora durante fulan tolu nia laran.

Maske Tratadu CMATS bele termina depende ba pozisaun kada nasaun rua ne’e hafoin 23 Fevreiru, maibé terminasaun tratadu ida ne’e la hamate kontratu Woodside no nia konsorsiu ba Sunrise nian ne’ebé sira hetan iha 2003. Akordu Unitizasaun Internasionál (IUA) sei kontinua vigora, no dezenvolvimentu Sunrise nian bele la’o. Karik produsaun hahú la’o hosi kampu Greater Sunrise, Tratadu CMATS sei automatikamente moris fali (anaunsérke negosiasaun tuir mai muda ida ne’e), no fakfahek 50:50 sei nafatin aplika.

Provisions in the CMATS Treaty

The CMATS Treaty between Timor-Leste and Australia is to facilitate oil and gas exploitation in the Timor Sea outside the JPDA. Some people call it the “Sunrise Agreement” because it divides Sunrise upstream revenues 50-50 between the two countries.

This treaty bans both Timor-Leste and Australia from talking about maritime boundaries or from raising the issue in any way or through any mechanism. It blocks the chance for Timor-Leste to realize its maritime sovereignty rights until all the oil and gas fields are empty. It allows Australia to continue to steal oil and gas wealth from occupied Timor-Leste seabed territory, such as Laminaria-Corallina.

One provision of this treaty prohibits any action to discuss the maritime boundary issue for 50 years. However, the Treaty’s term can be ended by either country if the Australian and Timor-Leste regulators have not approved a Sunrise Development Plan within six years of the treaty coming into force – that is, by 23 February 2013. At any time after that date, either Timor-Leste or Australia can give notice to terminate the Treaty, which would take effect three months later.

Although either nation can terminate the CMATS Treaty after 23 February, this does not terminate the contracts which were signed in 2003 with Woodside and its partners. The IUA will remain in effect, and Sunrise development could proceed. If production eventually starts from the Greater Sunrise field, the CMATS Treaty would automatically come back to life (unless subsequent negotiations have changed it), and the 50-50 sharing would still apply.

Konsekuénsia hosi desizaun hodi termina tratadu CMATS ba Timor-Leste

Bazeia ba provizaun iha leten, 23 Fevreiru 2013 nudár data primeiru ba nasaun ida entre Australia no Timor-Leste atu bele halo notifikasaun hodi termina Tratadu ne’e. Ministru Petróleu no Rekursu Minerais, Alfredo Pires hateten ba jornalista sira katak Timor-Leste tetu hela vantajen no dezvantajen hosi tratadu CMATS ida ne’e.

La’o Hamutuk hanoin katak vantajen ba Timor-Leste atu sai hosi tratadu CMATS mak iha posibilidade atu negosia fali fronteira maritima atu reklama nia direitu soberania ba Tasi Timor, inklui kampu Greater Sunrise, Area Dezenvolvimentu Petróleu Konjunta, kampu Laminaria, no Corallina.

Maske nune’e, ita tenke hanoin katak ne’e la signifika automatikamente Timor-Leste bele manán direitu hirak ne’e, Timor-Leste tenke husu Australia atu negosia ho vontade di’ak no rekoñese soberania tasi Timor-Leste, ne’ebé sira nega dezde 1975. Kultura, sosiedade polítika no Australia nia kantén hadalan ida ne’e, no Australia sei lakohi atu lakon dollar biliaun sira hosi reseita petróleu. Situasaun ida ne’e mak sei sai obstákulu ida ne’ebé sériu no todan ba Timor-Leste iha negosiasaun foun nia laran. Maski Sidadaun Australia barak mak respeita soberania Timor-Leste katak parte Tasi Timor tomak tenke sai Timor-Leste nian tuir lei internasionál, maibé ida ne’ebé la klaru katak sira nia Governu sei rona sira.

No mós, bainhira Timor-Leste la konsege konvense Australia atu rekoñese Timor-Leste nia “soberania” iha Tasi Timor, nasaun rua ne’e bele iha tan negosiasaun foun atu fahe reseita petrolíferu hosi Kampu Greater Sunrise nian, ita la serteza katak iha negosiasaun foun Timor-Leste bele hetan porsaun ne’ebé boot liu tan. Maske lahó Tratadu CMATS, nasaun rua ne’e sei sadere ba Akordu Unitizasaun Internasionál (IUA), ne’ebé infelizmente, hafahe reseita (upstream revenue) hosi Sunrise 82% ba Australia no 18% ba Timor-Leste (tanba 80% ketak hosi JPDA no 20% iha JPDA nia laran). Katak Timor-Leste sei hetan 90% hosi 20% kampu Sunrise ne’ebé iha JPDA nia laran.

Karik Australia nia Timor-Leste konkorda atu rezolve asuntu fronteira maritima ka asuntu seluk relasiona ho Tasi Timor, sira la presiza hein to 23 Fevreiru 2013. Parte rua ne’e ba kualkér tratadu – inklui CMATS, IUA no Tratadu Tasi Timor – bele deside iha kualkér tempu liu hosi akordu mutual ida atu kansela, halo revizaun ka troka ho akordu foun.

Iha 2006 no 2007, La’o Hamutuk husu ba Governu Timor-Leste no Australia atu lalika asina Tratadu CMATS, maibé atu negosia akordu fronteira maritima nian ne’ebé justu tuir prinsipiu legal internasionál nian. Buat barak mak muda ona hafoin sira asina, no ita la klaru ona saida mak negosiasaun di’ak liu ba ohin loron nian.

Nune’e, ikus liu, ami hanoin katak Timor-Leste bele fó notifikasaun atu termina Tratadu CMATS bainhira de’it ita hatene ona katak Australia sei halo negosiasaun ho vontade di’ak ba fronteira maritima. Karik ita la halo notifikasaun ohin, ita sempre bele halo ida ne’e depois bainhira Sunrise kontinua adia.

Obrigado no A LUTA KONTINUA.

Consequences for Timor-Leste of terminating the CMATS Treaty

As described above, 23 February 2013 is the first date either nation can give notice to unilaterally terminate this treaty. Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Alfredo Pires recently told journalists that Timor-Leste is weighing the advantages and disadvantages of termination.

La’o Hamutuk thinks that the advantage of Timor-Leste from exiting the CMATS Treaty is the possibility to negotiate maritime boundaries to reclaim our sovereign rights in the Timor Sea, including the Greater Sunrise field, the Joint Petroleum Development Area, and the Laminaria-Corallina fields.

However, we should remember that it is not automatic that Timor-Leste can achieve these rights, as they require Australia to negotiate in good faith and recognize Timor-Leste’s maritime rights, which Australia has denied since 1975. In many cases, Australian culture, politics and greed have gotten in the way, and Australia is reluctant to give up billions of dollars of petroleum revenues, which creates a challenge for Timor-Leste in new negotiations. Although many Australian citizens respect Timor-Leste’s sovereignty over the part of the Timor Sea that should be ours under international law, it is not clear that their government is listening to them.

Also, if Timor-Leste is not able to persuade Australia to recognize our sovereign rights in the Timor Sea, and the two nations have new negotiations about dividing the revenues from Sunrise, we cannot be certain that Timor-Leste will be able to get a larger share. Even without CMATS, both nations continue to abide by the International Unitization Agreement which, unhappily, would divide Sunrise upstream revenues 82% (80% outside the JPDA plus 10% of the 20% inside the JDPA) for Australia and only 18% (90% of the 20% of Sunrise that is inside the JPDA) for Timor-Leste.

If Australia and Timor-Leste both agreed to settle maritime boundaries or other issues relating to the Timor Sea, they would not have had to wait until 23 February 2013. Both parties to any treaty – including CMATS, the IUA and the Timor Sea Treaty – can decide at any time by mutual agreement to cancel, revise or replace it with a new treaty.

In 2006-2007, La’o Hamutuk urged Australia and Timor-Leste not to sign and ratify the CMATS Treaty, but to negotiate a fair maritime boundary agreement according to international legal principles. Much has changed since then, and it is unclear whether Timor-Leste could get a better deal today.

In the end, we think that the Government of Timor-Leste should give notice of termination only if it believes that Australia will enter into good-faith negotiations on maritime boundaries. If we don’t give notice now, we can always do it later if Sunrise remains stalled.

Thank you, and the struggle continues.

Atu hetan informasaun tan kona-ba fronteira maritima Timor-Leste nian, liga iha ne'e.

For more information about Timor-Leste's maritime boundaries, click here.