Gusmao reportedly shoots down refugee centre

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ABC News - 1- 4 - 2011

East Timorese prime minister Xanana Gusmao has reportedly given his strongest statement yet against Australia's proposed refugee processing centre.

Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd says negotiations about Australia's plan are continuing with East Timor.

But The Economist magazine is reporting Mr Gusmao has already rejected the idea.

The magazine says Mr Gusmao "finally put the idea out of its misery" during an interview with one of its writers in London on March 7.

"Chief among Mr Gusmao's reasons for opposing the processing centre is the fact that he would not be able to explain to his poor countrymen why foreign asylum-seekers would be entitled to international-grade health care, food, clothing and schooling for their children while so many Timorese do not," The Economist said on its Banyan blog.

The Federal Government earlier said Prime Minister Julia Gillard's plan for the processing centre received a boost this week after a people-smuggling conference in Bali reached a regional cooperation agreement.

But the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says East Timor has not approached it about the idea and says that even if a centre was built, it would be unlikely to be used to process everyone who arrives by boat at Christmas Island.

Meanwhile, the East Timor government says it will not engage in bilateral talks with Australia about the location of a regional processing centre for asylum seekers.

Secretary of state for security, Francisco Guterres, says any decisions about the processing centre must be made through mutlilateral talks.

"Our government will involve all the countries in the region to decide on the location as well," he said.

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