East Timor Transnational Issues - 2004

Disputes - international:
East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey, and delimit the land boundary, but several sections of the boundary especially around the Oekussi enclave remain unresolved; Indonesia and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Palau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which may delay decision on the northern maritime boundaries; numbers of East Timor refugees in Indonesia refuse repatriation; the 1999 maritime delimitation established partial maritime boundaries with Australia over part of the Timor Gap but temporary resource-sharing agreements over an unreconciled area grant Australia a 90% share of exploited gas reserves and hamper creation of a southern maritime boundary with Indonesia