`Lombok Agreement" seen as not beneficial to RI

Jakarta, NU Online
The framework of defence cooperation between Indonesia and Australia or `Lombok Agreement` signed in February 2006 might not benefit Indonesia if all bilateral agreements on Timor Sea should be canceled first for renegotiation with Timor Leste.

Chairman of the Working Group on Timor Gap and Director of Care For West Timor Foundation, Ferdi Tanomi, made the remark here Sunday in response to Indonesia`s Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono`s statement about the formulation on the framework of the RI-Australia cooperation when receiving his Australian counterpart Brendan Nelson in Jakarta last Friday.<>

Minister Juwono said the Foreign Affairs Minister was formulating the framework of defence cooperation between Indonesia and Australia to become a legal umbrella for defence and security cooperation between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Brendan Nelson said the bilateral cooperation covered all sectors including peacekeeping force, terrorism eradication and humanitarian operations.

As reported by the state news agency, Nelson said the two countries have cooperated in dealing with regional problems like those on illegal fish poaching and other transboundary crimes.

Indonesia`s House of Representatives has yet to ratify the Lombok agreement.

According to him, before formulating the RI-Australia defence agreement in detail, all the RI-Australia agreements on Timor Sea and Arafura should be canceled, and a trilateral renegotiation (with Timor Leste) should be made. (dar)