‘US, Australia spied on Indonesia’

A document from US whistleblower Edward Snowden indicates that the Australian spy agency, Defence Signals Directorate, worked together with US National Security Agency (NSA) to collect the phone numbers of Indonesian security officials, the Australian edition of the Guardian reported.

The news is expected to exacerbate the already tense ties between Jakarta and Canberra after reports revealed last week that the Australian embassies or consulates in China and Jakarta participated in an extensive US-led surveillance network to monitor phone calls and collect information.

Bothe China and Indonesia have called on Australia to provide response over the issue.

On Friday, Jakarta summoned Australian Ambassador Greg Moriarty, demanding explanation. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has described Australia’s revealed acts of espionage as “just not cricket.”

The Guardian, however, said the operation at the UN climate change conference was not successful as Australia and the US only managed to get the cell phone number of Bali’s police chief.

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had attended the 2007 climate talks in Bali at the personal invitation of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. In the course of the visit, the two leaders had agreed to enhance bilateral ties.

The latest disclosures by Snowden, published by the Guardian, show that the US monitored phone calls of 35 world leaders, including that of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Germany and Brazil are currently spearheading efforts to draft a United Nations General Assembly resolution to restrain surveillance activities directed against foreign leaders.

Snowden, who was granted political asylum in Russia on August 1, has been charged in the United States with espionage and theft of government property after leaking documents that revealed that the NSA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have been secretly gathering information of people in both the US and all around the world.

ASH/HJL/HMV

Source Article from http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/11/03/332716/us-australia-spied-on-indonesia/

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