The Australian Government will seek clemency for the 3 Australians on death row in Indonesia if their legal appeals fail, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has confirmed.
Mr Smith said yesterday he and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd raised the fate of convicted drug traffickers Andrew Chan, Scott Rush and Myuran Sukumaran with the Indonesian Government, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
''Both the Prime Minister and I have indicated to respectively the President and to the Foreign Minister that, if and when all legal and appeal processes have been concluded so far as the remaining members of the Bali Nine are concerned, and if one or more of those continue to be subject to a death penalty ... then the Australian Government will make a plea of clemency on their behalf,'' he said.
Mr Smith was speaking at a press conference in Canberra with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda after the 9th Australia-Indonesia ministerial forum. Dr Wirajuda defended Indonesia's use of the death penalty and hoped differences on the issue would not affect the bilateral relationship.
''Let's continue our discussions at the bilateral and global level on how we deal with it, and don't bilateralise the problem as only the problem between Indonesia and Australia,'' he said.
Mr Smith said the ministerial forum spent ''a considerable period of time discussing the global financial crisis; the adverse consequences of that for Australia and Indonesia and our region''.
The foreign ministers discussed counter-terrorism cooperation and issued a joint statement on efforts to combat people smuggling. Dr Wirajuda welcomed Australian's support for launching the Bali Democracy Forum, with Mr Rudd agreeing to co-chair the meeting with Dr Yudhoyono on December 9-10. ''This is an important and, in fact, strategic initiative, because for the 1st time it will put the questions of democracy, promotion of democracy, on the agenda of our regional discourse in Asia,'' he said.
Mr Smith said Australia would provide more than $6million to help Indonesia prepare for elections in April next year.
Source: Canberra Times
Mr Smith said yesterday he and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd raised the fate of convicted drug traffickers Andrew Chan, Scott Rush and Myuran Sukumaran with the Indonesian Government, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
''Both the Prime Minister and I have indicated to respectively the President and to the Foreign Minister that, if and when all legal and appeal processes have been concluded so far as the remaining members of the Bali Nine are concerned, and if one or more of those continue to be subject to a death penalty ... then the Australian Government will make a plea of clemency on their behalf,'' he said.
Mr Smith was speaking at a press conference in Canberra with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda after the 9th Australia-Indonesia ministerial forum. Dr Wirajuda defended Indonesia's use of the death penalty and hoped differences on the issue would not affect the bilateral relationship.
''Let's continue our discussions at the bilateral and global level on how we deal with it, and don't bilateralise the problem as only the problem between Indonesia and Australia,'' he said.
Mr Smith said the ministerial forum spent ''a considerable period of time discussing the global financial crisis; the adverse consequences of that for Australia and Indonesia and our region''.
The foreign ministers discussed counter-terrorism cooperation and issued a joint statement on efforts to combat people smuggling. Dr Wirajuda welcomed Australian's support for launching the Bali Democracy Forum, with Mr Rudd agreeing to co-chair the meeting with Dr Yudhoyono on December 9-10. ''This is an important and, in fact, strategic initiative, because for the 1st time it will put the questions of democracy, promotion of democracy, on the agenda of our regional discourse in Asia,'' he said.
Mr Smith said Australia would provide more than $6million to help Indonesia prepare for elections in April next year.
Source: Canberra Times
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar