CANBERRA, Australia, March 6 (UPI) -- A new agreement between Australia and Indonesia will include a pledge by Australia not to engage in espionage, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Thursday.
Relations between the two countries turned frosty in November with the revelation Australian intelligence agencies had been attempting to monitor the communications of Indonesia's president and other top officials. Bishop told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. the country's draft of a new code of conduct has been submitted to Indonesia.
"I made it quite clear that Australia would not use its resources -- our intelligence resources -- to the detriment of our friends and neighbors and that includes Indonesia," she said. "That will be part of the agreement, yes."
Bishop said the Indonesian election in April is delaying its draft.
"I'm not expecting as much progress to be made now that their attention is turned to their domestic election. That's not surprising," she said.
