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E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: PREL, KPKO, KCRM, UN, ID, AS, US
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN PRESS TRIES TO MANUFACTURE A U.S.-
AUSTRALIAN DISPUTE OVER EAST TIMOR

REF: FBIS RESTON DTG 01061OZ AUG 99

1. (U) THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE

HANDLE ACCORDINGLY.

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE

REVIEW AUTHORITY: DONALD A JOHNSTON
DATEXASE ED: 19 AUG 2004 200402548 UNCLASSIFIED
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2. (U) OVER THE LAST THREE DAYS ARTICLES HAVE APPEARED IN

THE MELBOURNE "AGE" AND PERTH'S "WEST AUSTRALIAN" WHICH
ALLEGE THAT AUSTRALIA REBUFFED U.S. EFFORTS TO COOPERATE IN
PLANNING FOR A PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN EAST TIMOR (TEXTS FAXED
TO EAP/ANP ANTWEILER). THE MOST DETAILED OF THESE ARTICLES
WHICH APPEARS IN THE AUGUST 1 ISSUE OF THE "AGE" CLAIMS THE
GOA ORDERED AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE OFFICIALS TO REJECT AN
INVITATION TO DISCUSS STRATEGY AND INTELLIGENCE PLANNING FOR
EAST TIMOR AT CINCPAC HEADQUARTERS IN HONOLULU. AUSTRALIA,
THE ARTICLE CONTINUES, TOLD U.S. DEFENSE OFFICIALS THAT ANY
DISCUSSION OF PEACEKEEPING INVOLVING THE DEPLOYMENT OF U.S.
MARINES WAS "PREMATURE" AND COULD DAMAGE AUSTRALIA'S
RELATIONS WITH INDONESIA. THE "AGE" ARTICLE ASSERTS THAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE (DFAT) NUMBER TWO
ASHTON CALVERT CONVEYED THIS POSITION TO EAP A/S STANLEY
ROTH. ROTH, ACCORDING TO THE "AGE" ARGUED WITH CALVERT THAT
PEACEKEEPING SHOULD BEGIN SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.

3. (SBU) DFAT MARITIME SOUTHEAST ASIA A/S NEILL MULES TOLD

POLCOUNS AUGUST 2 THAT THESE STORIES INFURIATED FM DOWNER,
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COMING AS THEY DID AT THE END OF WHAT HE CONSIDERED TO-BE
HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL VISITS TO EAST TIMOR AND JAKARTA. DOWNER
STRONGLY DENIED THEIR VERACITY IN AN AUGUST 1 TELEVISION
INTERVIEW (REFTEL) AND ORDERED DFAT TO SEND TO THE
-AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON FOR TRANSMISSION TO THE
DEPARTMENT PRESS POINTS HE IS USING TO REBUT THE ARTICLES
(TEXT OF THESE AT PARA 5 BELOW). MULES URGED THAT, IN
RESPONDING TO PRESS QUERIES ABOUT THESE STORIES, USG
SPOKESMEN MAKE SIMILAR POINTS.

4. (SBU) POLCOUNS TOLD MULES THAT THE STORIES WERE

LUDICROUS, AND HE AND MULES AGREED THAT THE U.S.-AUSTRALIAN
COORDINATION ON EAST TIMOR HAS BEEN GOOD. MULES SAID DFAT
BELIEVES THE ROTH-CALVERT CONVERSATION REFERRED TO IN THE
ARTICLE MAY HAVE BEEN ONE WHICH TOOK PLACE AS LONG AGO AS
FEBRUARY AND IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH BEAR NO RESEMBLANCE TO
THOSE WHICH PERTAIN TODAY. NOTING THAT THE IMPLICATION OF
THESE ARTICLES -- THAT AUSTRALIA IS SOMEHOW HOLDING UP AN
INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING EFFORT IN EAST TIMOR.OUT OF
DEFERENCE TO INDONESIAN SENSIBILITIES -- IS VERY CLOSE TO
THE LINE OF THE OPPOSITION LABOR PARTY, MULES SUSPECTED THAT
SOMEONE WITHIN THE GOA SYMPATHETIC TO LABOR WAS RESPONSIBLE
FOR THIS MISCHIEVOUS BACKGROUNDING OF THE AUSTRALIAN PRESS.
MULES ADDED THAT THE JOURNALISTS WRITING THESE ARTICLES SEEM

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TO FAVOR A PEACEKEEPING OPERATION (PKO) IN EAST TIMOR AND

MAY HAVE WRITTEN THEIR STORIES TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON THE
GOA TO SUPPORT A PKO. (COMMENT: ONE OF THE JOURNALISTS
WRITING THESE STORIES IS A LONG-TIME EAST TIMOR ACTIVIST WHO
HAS FOR MANY YEARS SOUGHT TO EMBARRASS AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENTS OVER THEIR ALLEGEDLY "CRAVEN" HANDLING OF THE
EAST TIMOR ISSUE. IT IS ENTIRELY PLAUSIBLE THAT HE MIGHT
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TRY TO DISTORT AN OUT OF CONTEXT LEAK INTO SOMETHING WHICH
HE COULD USE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT. WE ARE-CONFIDENT THAT
AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS DO NOT PERCEIVE A U.S.-AUSTRALIAN
DISAGREEMENT ON THIS ISSUE. END COMMENT.)

5. (U) FOLLOWING ARE THE POINTS WHICH FM DOWNER IS

USING WHEN RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS ON THESE ARTICLES:

BEGIN TEXT.

EAST TIMOR - DISCUSSIONS WITH THE US

REPORTS WHICH HAVE APPEARED IN THE WEEKEND PRESS ABOUT SO-

CALLED AUSTRALIAN 'SNUBBING' OF US 'ADVANCES' AND 'OFFERS'
ON EAST TIMOR ARE INACCURATE.

I ONLY LAST WEEK DISCUSSED THE SITUATION IN EAST TIMOR WITH

THE U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE AND THIS MEETING REINFORCED THE
CLOSE COOPERATION AND AGREEMENT THAT EXIST BETWEEN THE U.S.
AND AUSTRALIA ON THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE.

THERE HAVE OF COURSE ALSO BEEN WIDE-RANGING DISCUSSIONS

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, BETWEEN AUSTRALIAN
OFFICIALS, AND BOTH THE UNITED NATIONS AND INTERESTED

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E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: PREL, KPKO, KCRM, UN, ID, AS, US
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN PRESS TRIES TO MANUFACTURE A U.S.-
AUSTRALIAN DISPUTE-OVER EAST TIMOR

COUNTRIES SUCH AS THE US, ON DEVELOPMENTS IN THE EAST TIMOR

SITUATION. THIS DIALOGUE HAS ALSO, QUITE NATURALLY,
INCLUDED SOME PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION ON CONTINGENCY
PLANNING, AND HAS DEMONSTRATED THERE IS WIDE-RANGING AND
BROAD AGREEMENT AMONGST ALL OF US ON THE SITUATION ON THE
GROUND, AND POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTS THERE.

SENIOR OFFICIALS FROM MY DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING THE

SECRETARY, AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE HAVE FOR SOME
MONTHS NOW BEEN DISCUSSING WITH A WIDE RANGE OF US OFFICIALS
AT ALL LEVELS, ON ALL ASPECTS OF THE EAST TIMOR SITUATION.
WHILE I HAVE NO INTENTION OF GETTING INTO THE DETAILS OF
THESE DISCUSSIONS, I CAN CONFIRM THERE IS NO DISAGREEMENT-
BETWEEN US ON THE ISSUES CONFRONTING US - AND CERTAINLY
NOTHING REMOTELY RESEMBLING A 'TENSE POLICY DISPUTE',
'DIPLOMATIC SNUBS' OR 'TENSE EXCHANGES' BETWEEN US.

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I WOULD ALSO UNDERLINE THAT RESPONSIBILITY FOR CONTINGENCY

PLANNING IN THE POST-BALLOT PERIOD IN EAST TIMOR RESTS WITH
THE UNITED NATIONS. INTERESTED COUNTRIES, INCLUDING
AUSTRALIA AND THE US, ARE NATURALLY INVOLVED IN DISCUSSIONS
ON POST-BALLOT SCENARIOS WITH THE UN. ANY POSSIBLE
PEACEKEEPING CONTRIBUTION WOULD BE IN THE CONTEXT OF AN
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT AND UNDER UN AUSPICES.

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WE AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WILL
CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE UNITED NATIONS TO ASSIST IN THE
PROCESS OF TRANSITION IN EAST TIMOR, WHATEVER ITS FUTURE
STATUS MAY BE.

END TEXT.

BELLAMY

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