We have frequent and direct contact with Indonesia on G20 issues."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Australian government continues to maintain a close working relationship with Indonesia, in spite of the wiretapping of a number of Asian heads of state during the 2009 G20 summit in London, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
According to Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty, in a written statement received here Friday, while the Australian Government does not comment on intelligence matters, it maintains a close working relationship with its Indonesian counterparts.
"We have frequent and direct contact with Indonesia on G20 issues," Moriarty said.
According to the Australian daily Sidney Morning Herald, the wiretapping incident occurred during the G20 meeting in London on April 1-2, 2009, causing an international outrage.
According to reports, a number of Asian countries` heads of state, including Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao, were targeted for wire tapping.
The Friday, July 26 story in the Sydney Morning Herald stated that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd used the information gathered by the surveillance to his advantage.
The wiretapping was revealed to the public in June 2013 when a British media outlet released a statement by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who is currently a fugitive, regarding British surveillance of delegation members to the 2009 G20 Summit.
The wiretapping also resulted in Indonesia undertaking a serious evaluation of its security procedures to prevent leaks. Rapid technological developments this decade requires specialized skills to prevent the stealing of state secrets, according to officials.***1***
(INE/a014)
(T.A050/A/KR-BSR/A014) 02-08-2013 16:44:47
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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