AAP - April 12, 2011
EAST Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta says he has not discussed the plan for a regional processing centre in his country for months, despite Australia insisting negotiations have been ongoing.
However Mr Ramos-Horta insists the door has not been closed on Australia's idea, despite opposition from many senior East Timorese politicians, reportedly including Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.
The President, appointed to lead East Timor's negotiations in relation to the proposal, maintains he has not yet turned his back on the plan.
But Mr Ramos-Horta revealed he has not held any discussions with Australian officials for months, despite Julia Gillard having said talks were ongoing.
In the lead-up to a regional meeting on people smuggling held in Bali at the end of last month, Ms Gillard and Immigration Minister Chris Bowen insisted that East Timor remained Australia's focus in terms of the regional processing centre proposal.
At the time of the Bali Process meeting, the Prime Minister said that the question of the East Timor processing centre “is something that Australia continues to pursue with East Timor at the highest levels”.
However, Mr Ramos-Horta said the last time he discussed the proposal with Australian officials was at least “two (or) three months ago”.
Although the President has no executive powers within the government, he remains a popular and influential figure in East Timorese politics.
He has also voiced concerns about the length of time it would take to process asylum-seekers.
“We set up one here in Timor-Leste, (it) fill(s) up and then what? People rot in the asylum-seeker centre,” he said.
“No. There has to be a comprehensive integrated arrangement whereby Timor-Leste could consider, and I emphasise the word(s) could consider, being a transit point, a processing centre - temporary until the individuals concerned go to their final destination.”
He said it would take years to build infrastructure needed to accommodate the current level of asylum-seeker traffic.
Despite other political leaders in East Timor having failed to back the plan, which has also received scant support from other countries in the region, the President insists it remains a possibility, and said he would discuss it with Mr Gusmao later in the week.
“I never turn my back as long as I've been the President of this country. I would never turn my back, or have knee-jerk reaction by saying `no'.
“I'm meeting with the Prime Minister this week, Xanana Gusmao, and I will touch on this issue to see how we can move forward in the dialogue with Australia.”
“It will take time. We are not going to rush into an agreement,” he said.
In an interview with the Economist magazine last month, Mr Gusmao reportedly all but dismissed the proposal, saying he could not justify a situation where asylum-seekers would receive education and health care at levels better than most people in his own country.
Comment was being sought from the Australian government.
AAP
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