|
 Abbott said he spoke with his "friend" Widodo on Wednesday
evening, adding that the Indonesian leader "absolutely understands
our position ... and I think he is carefully considering Indonesia's
position".
Widodo has denied clemency to 11 convicts on death row, including
Australian, French, and Brazilian nationals, ratcheting up
diplomatic tensions amid repeated pleas for mercy.
Abbott had previously angered Jakarta by linking his pleas for
clemency for the pair to Australia's aid to Indonesia after the 2004
Indian Ocean tsunami. Jakarta responded by warning that threats were
not part of diplomatic language.
"It was a positive sign that the conversation took place," Abbott
told reporters in Canberra. "It's a sign of the depth of the
friendship between Australia and Indonesia."
He declined to comment on the conversation in detail.
 "I don't want to raise hope that might turn out to be dashed,"
Abbott said.
"I want to ensure that as far as is humanly possible, I am speaking
out for Australians and for Australian values, but I also have to
respect and defend Australia's friendships."
Indonesian government officials have repeatedly said the planned
executions, to be carried out by firing squads, would not be delayed
or canceled despite diplomatic pressure. No date has been set for
the executions.
"We understand the efforts made by Australia to represent their
nationals. That's the duty of all governments," said Armanatha
Nasir, spokesman for Indonesia's foreign ministry.
Widodo, who also took calls from Brazil, France, and the Netherlands
this week, has warned those nations against interfering in
Indonesia's sovereign affairs.
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Brazil had a citizen executed last month and another is among the
next group on death row, along with a French national, the
Australians and seven others. A Dutch citizen was executed last
month.
"We are keeping communications open with Brazil and we anticipate
only good things in our relations with other countries," Nasir said.
Indonesia has harsh penalties for drug trafficking and resumed
executions in 2013 after a five-year gap.
On Tuesday, a court in Jakarta threw out an appeal by the two
Australians, Myuran Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 31, against
Widodo's rejection of their request for presidential clemency.
Lawyers for the members of the so-called Bali Nine group of
Australians, convicted in 2005 as the ringleaders of a plot to
smuggle heroin out of Indonesia, have said they plan to appeal
against that decision.
(Editing by Andrew Roche and Paul Tait)
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