When he made Jakarta his first foreign destination after he was elected as Australia's prime minister in September, Tony Abbott promised a relationship with Indonesia "of no surprises, based on mutual trust". Only two months later, Indonesia has decided to downgrade its relationship with Mr Abbott's government. The country has been enraged by revelations by Guardian Australia and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that in 2009 Australia's Defence Signals Directorate (DSD), an intelligence agency, tried to tap the phones of Susilo Bambang Yud-hoyono, Indonesia's president, his wife and several in his innermost circle. Australia has survived crises with its closest northern neighbour before, especially over their disagreements over East Timor (now Timor-Leste) and Indonesia's policies in West Papua. This one may be more damaging than any. Indonesia's leaders seem livid.
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