{A diplomatic row between Australia and Indonesia has deepened, with both sides refusing to back down after allegations emerged that Australian intelligence services had spied on the Indonesian president.}
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono accused newly elected Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott of dismissing his country’s concerns in a statement on Twitter on Tuesday.
Abbott, in office since September, rejected calls for an explanation, describing surveillance by Australian governments as “reasonable intelligence operations”.
The latest flare-up followed Australian media reports, quoting documents leaked by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, that Australian spy agencies had tried to tap the mobile phones of Yudhoyono, his wife and senior officials in August 2009.
Reports last month said Australia’s Jakarta embassy had been part of a US-led surveillance network to spy on Indonesia.
“I … regret the statement of Australian Prime Minister that belittled this tapping matter on Indonesia, without any remorse,” Yudhoyono wrote on Twitter. He did not say to which statement by Abbott he was referring.
“These US & Australian actions have certainly damaged the strategic partnerships with Indonesia, as fellow democracies,” he added.
Indonesia, he wrote, “demands an official response, one that can be understood by the public”.
The statements came a day after the recall of Indonesia’s ambassador to Australia.
Aljazeera
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