Dili - East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao hinted Friday that an Australian investigation into the killing of five journalists allegedly by Indonesian troops in his homeland in 1975 would prove futile.

An Australian coroner's inquiry two years ago concluded the five were deliberately killed by Indonesian soldiers to prevent news of Jakarta's invasion of East Timor from leaking out.

"When I heard it from the media I said, you can try but I believe that they will not do that, because I believe that Canberra and Jakarta will be in a bit of trouble," Gusmao said.

"Let's see. Sometimes big countries insist on us to do justice but they themselves have difficulty realizing justice," he said. "If they are successful I will give my applause."

Indonesia has always maintained that the journalists, known as the Balibo Five after the town in which they were killed, died in crossfire between Indonesian soldiers and East Timorese fighters.

Indonesia has warned the investigation could damage its ties with Australia.

"Indonesia and East Timor have agreed to get over things that get in the way of good relations," said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday. "If this thing is revived, it will be against that spirit [of good relations]."

"I hope this issue can be managed well so that it won't give rise to things that will hurt relations with Australia," he said.

Television journalists Greg Shackleton and Malcolm Rennie, cameramen Gary Cunningham and Brian Peters as well as sound recordist Tony Stewart died October 16,
1975, after trying to capture images of Indonesian troops crossing the border.

East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, was annexed by Indonesia in 1976 and had to wait for full independence until 2002.

According to a report by a UN-sponsored truth commission, the Indonesian occupation led to about 100,000 deaths from killings, starvation and disease.

Australian governments had accepted Jakarta's assertion that the men were killed in a crossfire, but in January 2008 the Attorney General's Department referred the case to the police after the Sydney coroner's finding. (dpa)