RSS Feed
Australia and Indonesia have agreed to negotiate a new security pact to replace one that was scrapped in 1999.
The proposed treaty will cover a wide area including defense, police cooperation, counter-terrorism, and the territorial integrity of the two countries.
Foreign ministers Hassan Wirajuda of Indonesia and Alexander Downer of Australia announced the proposal Friday at the end of a bilateral ministerial forum in Canberra. Mr. Downer says the treaty could be concluded within months.
The two countries forged a treaty in 1995, but Indonesia abandoned it in 1999 in retaliation for Australia leading a U.N. peacekeeping force into what was then the Indonesian province of East Timor following violence surrounding its vote for independence.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP.
We'd like to hear what you think of the site - please e-mail us: NewDesign@VOANews.com
