'€œIt'€™s not a matter for negotiation. It'€™s law enforcement. It would be a legal violation for a country to negotiate with its law. So, there will be no negotiation [on the executions],'€ ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said as quoted by Antara in Jakarta on Thursday.

He made the comment in response to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who conveyed to the Australian media that her government was ready to cover the cost of life sentences for two Australian death row inmates, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, in a bid to have their death sentences commuted.

Earlier, Bishop suggested a prisoner exchange between Indonesia and Australia in an attempt to save Chan and Sukumaran from the firing squad for using Indonesia as a transit point for the attempted smuggling of 8.3 kilograms of heroin to Australia.

The Indonesian government rejected the offer, saying the country had no legal avenue to make prisoner swaps.

Bishop showed the Australian media a letter she sent to Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi detailing the cost of life sentences.

Arrmanatha said official communication between government officials of two countries was highly confidential in nature and was based on diplomacy and ethics standards between two countries.

'€œIndonesia has never leaked the contents of letters to or communication with foreign governments. We very much regret if there is a government conducting diplomacy through the media,'€ he said, adding that Retno had responded to all execution-related issues raised by her Australian counterpart. (ebf)

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