Fed: Aust, Indon agreed on "broader prisoner transfer deal"

AAP General News (Australia)
08-27-2006
Fed: Aust, Indon agreed on "broader prisoner transfer deal"

CANBERRA, Aug 27 AAP - The government says it agrees with Indonesia on the broad principles
of a prisoner transfer deal, but it is still working on the details.

Both countries expect to finalise an agreement by the end of the year.

The process is expected to move forward next month when Indonesian Law and Human Rights
Minister Hamid Awaludin visits Australia.

Justice Minister Chris Ellison said Australian officials recently met with their Indonesian
counterparts to discuss the details of the agreement.

"There are a lot of aspects to this. We hope to have it signed by the end of the year
but of course it's not just something you can sit down and work out overnight," he told
the Ten Network.

"We have two different legal systems that we have to accommodate here.

"The general principles have been agreed, we just have to work through the detail."

Earlier this month Indonesian ambassador Hamzah Thayeb said the agreement was likely
to be signed off by the end of the year.

But Mr Thayeb indicated the transfer arrangement could still be a way off if it needed
approval from the Indonesian parliament.

Whether it would go before parliament depended on what form the deal took.

Senator Ellison said it wasn't unusual that it was taking the two countries a long
time to finalise the prisoner exchange agreement.

"A lot of our transfer prisoner agreements take a long time," he said.

"These things don't just happen overnight.

"You're dealing with different sentencing provisions, totally different legal situations.

"Indonesia and Australia (are) remarkably different in their background and judicial systems.

"When you do a transfer agreement you've got to bring this into consideration, that takes time."

AAP so/srp/sd

KEYWORD: INDON AUST ELLISON

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