Oil Treaty Dispute: East Timor Lobbies Anew vs Australia in International Courts

In an aggressive move to regain its position in the oil treaty dispute, East Timor asked the International Court of Justice Monday for Australia to return data and documents it confiscated from the former's lawyer in December.

In lieu of a battle regarding an oil treaty worth billions of dollars, East Timor requested for United Nations arbitration. The country asked the UN's highest court, the International Court of Justice, to order the Australian government to turn over documents it seized in a raid on the office of East Timor's lawyer situated in Canberra.

This move by East Timor is the latest development in the legal dispute between the two neighbouring countries, vying for rights to utilize the resources embedded in the sea dividing them.

Mr Elihu Lauterpacht, East Timor's lawyer urged the international court to dispense "a clear, firm and severe condemnation of what Australia has done" and force Australia to seal and hand over the documents to the court.

In December, agents of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) raided the houses of Bernard Collaery, lawyer, and an ex-spy who is expected to testify in court. The ex-spy's identity is being withheld due to legal reasons. This is based on East Timor's allegations that Australia bugged the former's cabinet before negotiations could start regarding the revenue-sharing on their 2006 oil treaty.

Agio Pereira, East Timor's Minister of State, added that the Australian government also restricted the ex-spy from travelling out of the country, confiscating his passport, thereby preventing him from being present in the international court in Hague to testify.

According to Mr Pereira, the confiscated documents in question relate to his country's challenge questioning the legality of their 2006 oil treaty with Australia. The East Timorese government claims that Australian intelligence agents had illegally bugged their government offices and listened to sensitive conversations relating to negotiations prior to the 2006 treaty.

"It is simply unconscionable that one party to negotiations or litigation should be able to place itself by these means in such a position of advantage over the other," said Mr Lauterpacht Monday.

Mr George Brandis, Attorney General of Australia, who is said to have authorized the ASIO raids, has not commented yet on the situation's recent development. However, Australia is expected to file a counter-move Tuesday.