Tony Abbott rejects Indonesia's call for spying apology, calls for cool heads amid diplomatic row
Updated
Australia's diplomatic row with Indonesia shows no sign of abating, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott refusing to apologise over revelations that Australia tried to tap president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's phone.
Making a statement to Parliament on Tuesday, after Indonesia's ambassador had left Canberra airport to return to Jakarta, Mr Abbott said he "regretted" the rift, but said he did not think Australia had anything to apologise for.
In reply, an Indonesian presidential spokesman said Mr Yudhoyono "regretted" Mr Abbott's response.
Jakarta says it is giving Mr Abbott two days to explain Australia's actions, and has warned that cooperation on issues including border security and asylum seekers is at risk.
The row blew up on Monday when Indonesia recalled its ambassador after documents revealed by the ABC and Guardian Australia showed Australia attempted to intercept Mr Yudhoyono's phone on at least one occasion, and monitored his calls for 15 days in 2009.
It continued on Tuesday morning when Mr Yudhoyono took to Twitter to criticise Mr Abbott for earlier comments in which he had said that "all governments gather information".
"The actions of US and Australia have very much wounded the strategic partnership with Indonesia, a fellow democratic state," Mr Yudhoyono tweeted.
"I also regret the statement by the Australian PM that belittles this surveillance to Indonesia, as if no wrong has been done."
In Parliament, Abbott calls for 'cool heads', says Australia's security is paramount
In Parliament later on Tuesday, Mr Abbott repeated his assertion that "every government gathers information", adding that every government "knows that every other government gathers information".
The Prime Minister said Australia should not be expected to apologise for the "steps we take to protect our country".
"Importantly, in Australia's case, we use all our resources, including information to help our friends and allies not to harm them," he said.
Australia should not be expected to apologise for the steps we take to protect our country now or in the past.
Tony Abbott
"Similarly Australia shouldn't be expected to detail what we do to protect our country any more than other governments should be expected to detail what they do to protect theirs.
"Others should ask of us no more than they are prepared to do themselves."
Later Mr Abbott described the surveillance as "reasonable".
"I don't believe that Australia should be expected to apologise for reasonable intelligence gathering operations, just as I don't expect other countries or other Governments to apologise for their reasonable intelligence gathering operations," he said in response to a question.
The Prime Minister said Australia has "deep respect" for its near neighbour, saying "it is the most important single relationship that we have".
And, while he did not apologise, he expressed "regret" over the attempt to listen in to the Indonesian president's phone conversations.
"I regard President Yudhoyono as a good friend of Australia," he said.
"Indeed, as one of the very best friends that we have anywhere in the world.
"That's why I sincerely regret any embarrassment that recent media reports have caused him.
"But it is in everyone's interests - Indonesia's no less than Australia's - that cool heads prevail and that our relationship growing closer, not more distant."
Asylum seeker cooperation 'absolutely' under review
As well as Mr Yudhoyono, other spying targets included the phones of first lady Ani Yudhoyono and key government figures.
Before leaving for Jakarta, ambassador Nadjib Riphat Kesoema told media at Canberra airport that he did not know how long he would be kept out of the country.
"I think a good explanation will be the best way to ease the problem," he said.
Indonesia's coordinating minister for politics, law and security, Djoko Suyanto, had earlier said he wanted an explanation from Mr Abbott within two days.
Mr Suyanto is the man Mr Yudhoyono has put in charge of dealing with asylum seekers and people smuggling, including whether or not to help Australia tackle the problem.
Mr Suyanto says all cooperation with Australia is now under review.
Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa says that "absolutely" includes asylum seekers.
"There's a message we have to send, that things like this in the 21st century - we are not talking about the Cold War era - in the 21st century, the wiretapping issue should have been far behind us," he said.
"I want to make it absolutely clear. An unfriendly act, unbecoming of a relationship between strategic partners."
Indonesian papers label Australia a 'dangerous neighbour'
Indonesia correspondent George Roberts says domestic pressure is mounting on Mr Yudhoyono to take a hard line against the Government.
"The local Indonesian language newspapers have branded Australia as a bad and dangerous neighbour," he told PM.
"And there are some quarters, some people, who even on occasion advise Indonesian government departments to take an even harder line, potentially even expelling Australian diplomats from Indonesia."
Roberts said elections for the presidency were due halfway through next year, and although Mr Yudhoyono was constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, he still needed to protect his name and his party.
"That is what this is, in a sense, all about - the domestic politics at play here," Roberts said.
He said the lack of a satisfactory response from Mr Abbott would make the president appear weak in the eyes of other politicians, who could then exploit the situation.
"There is pressure from the Commission One, which is the foreign affairs commission in parliament - from key members within that - and also from other members of the body politic who are trying to use this issue to pressure the government and paint the government as weak," he said.
Shorten calls for action to maintain relationship with Indonesia
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says the relationship between Australia and Indonesia can recover but immediate action is needed.
"The days ahead remain of the utmost important in working to remediate issues with Indonesia," he said.
"We should not allow these matters to fester for very long at all. We should not allow this matter to taint our relationship going forward."
Greens MP Adam Bandt says the relationship with Indonesia is rapidly deteriorating.
"That's why Tony Abbott needs to very quickly make it clear whether or not this kind of activity is still occurring and whether or not we view the Indonesians as partners and neighbours or whether the Indonesian president and his wife are treated as a national security threat," he said.
Meanwhile the managing director of the ABC has defended publishing the government documents.
In a Senate Estimates hearing Mark Scott was questioned about the appropriateness of publishing documents labelled "top secret".
"We're seeing a big international debate on intelligence activities in this digital age; what information can be procured, what information can be shared," he said.
"I think the story yesterday centrally went to that and therefore I think it was an important story that should have been told, and that's why we told it."
- Indonesian president accuses Tony Abbott of taking claims too lightly
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- Former diplomat criticises Australian response to spying allegations
- US expert says Australia's 'uncomfortable months' will pass
- Who are the 10 Indonesians on Australian spies' list?
- As it happened: Australian spying reached Indonesian president
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