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bilateral policy discussion on Wednesday recommended Australia and Indonesia promptly restore their collaboration on people smuggling prevention despite current tensions between the two neighbors.

The discussion, which was hosted by the Center for Policy Studies and Strategic Advocacy (CPSSA) in Jakarta, came a day after Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that Australia-Indonesia relations would be on hold until October to allow time to settle yet another bilateral dispute sparked by the leak of top-secret Australian intelligence documents.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has trumpeted the success of his '€œturn back the boats'€ policy, saying there had been 8 weeks without asylum seekers entering Australian territory. Indonesian officials have opposed the policy.

International politics and security affairs observer Kusnanto Anggoro said the dispute over the policy arose from a failure to address the gap in resources and capacity between the two countries.

'€œThe impact of people smuggling and other issues is different in severity between Indonesia and Australia. At the same time, we have different capacities,'€ said the Indonesian Defense University lecturer.

Australia is better equipped to address the issue as it has a more complete legal system in place, as well as more efficient institutions and operations, adds Kusnanto.

He suggested both countries recognize their different responsibilities regarding people smuggling in order to jump-start bilateral cooperation.

However, international security expert Alan Dupont of the University of New South Wales has said that combining resources and having common agreements was more important than simply acknowledging capacity differences.

'€œMaybe we have a bit more money to spend on some capacity-building on our naval ships and our intelligence capabilities, so we should share those with you, but it has to be a partnership of equals,'€ he said.

The Lombok Treaty between both countries, signed in 2006, stipulates cooperation on naval patrols.

Dupont also said that the Bali Process, a bilateral consultation mechanism on people smuggling, human trafficking and related transnational crimes, could become the model of a reasonable solution.

Former Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda, who cosponsored the Bali Process in 2002, maintained that the forum facilitated cooperation between countries of origin, transit and destination in order to stop illegal migration.

'€œThe Bali Process was and still is the best regional mechanism that we have,'€ said Hassan during the panel discussion, which was also attended by former Australian ambassador to Indonesia Richard Smith, Lt. Gen. (ret) Hotmangaradja Pandjaitan and The Australian foreign editor, Greg Sheridan.

The CPSSA is a think tank founded by retired generals including former Indonesian Military chief of territorial affairs Lt. Gen. (ret) Agus Widjojo and former trade and industry minister Gen. (ret) Luhut Pandjaitan.

Director of the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture Inc. (VFST), Paris Aristotle, who was also a member of the panel, urged the media to put pressure on the Indonesian and Australian governments to revitalize the Bali Process.

'€œThe answer is not to make it Indonesia'€™s problem,'€ Aristotle emphasized. '€œIt is to acknowledge [the issue] within the region, and push our strategies as far up the chain before it gets to Indonesia.'€ (tjs)