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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Christopher Knaus

José Ramos-Horta accuses Alexander Downer of ‘distorting’ issues around 2004 Timor-Leste bugging

Alexander Downer José RamosHorta Australia Timor Bernard Collaery Oil TimorLeste Witness K Foreign Aid
Nobel laureate Jose Ramos Horta, the new-elected President of East Timor, delivers his speech after taking his oath during the swearing ceremony in Dili, East Timor, May 20, 2022.
Timor-Leste president, José Ramos Horta, has accused former Australian foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer of ‘avoiding and distorting the core issue’ around the 2004 spying scandal. Photograph: Lirio Da Fonseca/Reuters

The president of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, has accused former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer of “avoiding and distorting” the issues around the 2004 bugging scandal, saying recent comments ignored the fact that Australia had spied “on behalf of oil companies and using the cover of Australia’s supposedly altruistic foreign aid program”.

On Thursday, Downer appeared on the ABC’s Q&A program and was questioned about the 2004 Australian Secret Intelligence Service mission to bug Timor-Leste’s government during sensitive talks to carve up oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea.

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