East Timor president pushes back on environmental criticism

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Give our country $100 billion — or stop lecturing us about making money from fossil fuels. That was the message East Timor President and Nobel Peace Prize winner José Ramos-Horta had for those raising environmental concerns about his nation’s proposal to build a new gas-processing plant. Ramos-Horta was speaking in Australia after the two countries signed a new defense agreement. He delivered his remarks with humor but also with an edge. East Timor is hoping to break a 20-year deadlock with the new Australian government over the development of the Greater Sunrise gas field that lies beneath the seabed separating the two countries. Australia wants the gas piped to its existing gas hub and East Timor expects more benefit if the gas is piped to its south coast.