Compartment in trunk

In my 03 DX V6 there is compartment in the trunk on the passenger side.  It is opened by two little knobs that you twist.  In side there are two Velcro straps that are screwed to the inside.
 
What is this for?  I bought mine used and I can't find anything about it in the manual. It looks like something should be there.
 
Thanks.

There was nothing in there in brand new Tribbs straight from the factory Voda2000. Just two velcro straps hanging in an empty compartment.  My understanding is that it is just a place for you to strap in a roadside emergency or first aid kit.

That good to know.  Seems like a rather silly thing to include in a vehicle with no explanation.
 
Thanks for the info.

In my 06 manual it says that the jack my be in here if you don't have a model with the storage space under the cargo area.

Our 04 has the cargo net strapped into that box... Dont know if it came that way or it was an aftermarket net but it looks like its never been touched?

Glad to see this post!  My 2004 has this empty compartment too, exactly as described.  I figured it was for the jack too, but I guess not.  Does the 2004 Escape have the spare tire mounted outside under the vehicle?  If so, this panel may be intentionally interchangeable with the Escape, left empty on the Mazda that keep the spare inside the vehicle.
 
On a side note, the spare tire being mounted inside is one of the main reasons I bought the 2004 Tribute instead of a 2005+.  I live in an area that gets 200 inches of snow per year, which translates lots of road salt...which means rust and corrision.  Having an outside mounted spare tire under the vehicle is a recipe for disaster in this climate.  After two winters, the mechanism on ANY vehicle is corroded, rusted and inoperable.
 
The other reasons I bought a 2004:
 
1.) Column mounted shifter...a personal preference, leaving lots of storage room in the console and between the seats.
 
2.) Aforementioned spare tire location.
 
3.) Reliability for this year is much better than average on Comsumer Reports, best year of 2001-04.