DHAKA: Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday he hoped to establish a ‘security roundtable’ with Indonesia, seeking to rebuild a strategic relationship with a key Asian neighbour damaged by allegations of spying by Canberra.

Reports last week that Australia`s intelligence services had tried to eavesdrop on mobile phone conversations of Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and other top officials have dragged the relations between the sometimes uneasy neighbours to their lowest since the late 1990s.

Jakarta responded by halting military and police cooperation until it received an explanation from close United States ally Canberra, throwing into doubt a security partnership that has made inroads against Islamist militants and people smuggling networks.

On Tuesday, Dr Yudhoyono said he would appoint a special envoy, or possibly his foreign minister, to resolve major issues regarding intelligence sharing, after which he would himself look into establishing a new code of ethics on the issue, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1357 HRS, NOV 27, 2013