Australian lawmakers endorse Indonesia security pact

Australian lawmakers endorsed a security treaty with Indonesia on Wednesday, but urged the government to continue to speak out strongly against human rights abuses in Indonesia.

Australian parliament's treaties committee also said Indonesia should allow human rights monitors and journalists greater access to Papua province where security forces have been fighting a low-level separatist insurgency for decades.

The committee's approval means Australia can now ratify the security pact, which aims to smooth often prickly ties between the two countries.

It also underlines Canberra's support for Jakarta's sovereignty in separatist-leaning provinces including Papua, Maluku and Aceh.

"The agreement makes clear Australian government policy on Indonesian territorial integrity," treaties committee chairman Andrew Southcott said.

The Australian government has said the treaty, signed on the Indonesian island of Lombok in November 2006, would strengthen security ties, with stronger anti-terrorism cooperation and joint naval border patrols.

The treaty also allows greater cooperation on civilian nuclear research and could lead to Australian sales of uranium to Indonesia.

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But rights groups said the security treaty was a "dirty deal" which casts Australia as a defacto Indonesian ally in the conflict in Papua.

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Australian Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett issued a dissenting report, saying he could not endorse the treaty because of concerns about human rights abuses in Papua.

"We cannot wish away human rights concerns just because they make our relationship with another country uncomfortable,' Bartlett said.

The treaty was agreed following militant bomb attacks in Bali in 2002 and 2005, as well as on Australia's Jakarta embassy in 2003, which together killed 92 Australians and scores of Indonesian and foreign bystanders. ((Editing by Sanjeev Miglani; james.grubel@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: james.grubel.reuters.com@reuters.net, +612 6273 2730))