Bush's lap dog in the Pacific has engineered a real mess in East Timor and if the US is not careful, Iraq could be looking like that as well. Canberra does not want to let go of the valuable natural resources that could help East Timor climb out of poverty but I am sure that there will be no shortage of complaining and racial slurs when the next wave of boat people start landing in Australia because of poverty and starvation.
"The oil and gas fields lie much closer to East Timor but, under a deal struck between Canberra and Jakarta in 1989, a maritime boundary was set along Australia's continental shelf, giving it control of 85 per cent of the seabed. East Timor's new leaders want the border redrawn halfway between the two countries, in accordance with international law.
If the boundary was redrawn, East Timor estimates it would earn $12bn (£6.7bn) over the next 30 years, as opposed to $4.4bn at present. It says it would spend the money on health, education and infrastructure." - The Independent
