This blog aims to provide some information on defense matters little treated in French.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
East Timor: The arms race?
According to a report from PROS, some countries have increased their budgets in high proportions. This is the Timor-Leste (54%), Uruguay (24%), Taiwan (19%), Lebanon (20%), Afghanistan (19%), Ecuador (18% ) and Brazil (16%). Timor is a very poor country that is struggling to recover from its annexation by Indonesia in 1975 and a long period of political instability after independence in 2002.
High hopes are placed in the exploitation of offshore oil reserves, currently licensed to provide nearly 50 million per year and represent 55% of GNP Timor. In 2006, the country has signed an agreement with Australia on the sharing of natural resources, which allocated 50% of revenues to East Timor. One of the major challenges will be to ensure the use of oil revenues on a sustainable basis for the development of this country.
strong ties remain with Portugal, former colonial power. East Timor is the largest recipient of development assistance Portuguese. Australia played a major role in stabilizing the country and its development mainly because of its proximity and its regional power status. Australia has also become over the years a friend cumbersome for the Government of Timor-Leste and contacts now seem very tense. The purchase of two patrol Chinese is the cause of the substantial increase in funding for defense and a cold with the Australian Government. This purchase creates a very important controversy in the country. The main criticism concerns the lack of transparency surrounding the agreement to buy Chinese-designed these buildings. No bid has been launched and the decision to buy the boats made unilaterally by the Prime Minister Gusmão. Despite calls from opposition politicians and some NGOs, the government refused to make public the terms of the contract.
The purchase of two buildings should provide facilities to the naval component of the Defence Forces of Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) and control the Timor Sea. They will fight against the illegal exploitation of the EEZ of Timor.
Chief of Staff of FDTL, General Matan Ruak, said the new boats will allow East Timor to develop cooperation with the navies of neighboring countries and also progress in the areas basins.
This contract may not be the only one with China, This greatly upsets Australia continues to provide significant support to the country. The country has an ambitious plan to develop its security forces as Australia and the United Nations are disproportionate.
Chief of Staff of FDTL, General Matan Ruak, said the new boats will allow East Timor to develop cooperation with the navies of neighboring countries and also progress in the areas basins.
This contract may not be the only one with China, This greatly upsets Australia continues to provide significant support to the country. The country has an ambitious plan to develop its security forces as Australia and the United Nations are disproportionate.
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