Jakarta recalls ambassador as diplomatic tensions rise over spying claims PM Tony Abbott responds to a question about Australian intelligence services tapping the personal phone of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. INDONESIA has recalled its ambassador to Australia as the fallout from revelations that Australia bugged Indonesian President Yudhoyono's personal mobile phone threatens the fabric of our most "important" relationship. Ambassador Nadjib Riphat Kesoema will probably leave Canberra within 24 hours for indefinite "consultations" in Jakarta. Relations between the two countries have plunged into a deep chasm with Jakarta threatening to expel Australian diplomats from its capital. Top secret documents leaked by American whistle blower Edward Snowden show Australia's peak electronic spying agency, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), tried to bug the mobile phones of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and several senior government officials. The slides, produced by the directorate for the US National Security Agency (NSA) show the operation lasted five days in August 2009 and came a month after terrorist bombings of two hotels in Jakarta which killed seven people, including three Australians. Australian spies have reportedly tried to listen to the phone calls of the Indonesian President. The surveillance included at least one attempted intercept from the President's personal Nokia handset and is understood to have been conducted as part of a long-term spying arrangement with the UK, USA, Canada and New Zealand, known as "five eyes." Indonesia has also demanded a full and public explanation of the spying activities of the secretive Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and it wants a promise that the actions will never be repeated. "This is an unfriendly, unbecoming act between strategic partners," Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told reporters as he announced the ambassador would be recalled for consultations. Dr Natalegawa has emphatically condemned Australia's alleged actions. Ian McPhedran on how everyone's a target for spying, even the president of our nearest neighbour. "This isn't a smart thing to do," he said, adding that it "hasn't been a good day in the relationship between Indonesia and Australia." Special adviser Daniel Sparringa said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is "devastated" at claims that Australia listened in on phone calls made from his personal mobile phone and that of other senior officials. According to the Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security, Djoko Suyanto, the Indonesian Government will also review all bilateral cooperation with Australia. The crisis threatens to derail vital agreements on people smuggling. According to reports the news of the spying on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and several senior ministers has "devastated" the president who regards Australia as a close friend. Special adviser for political affairs Daniel Sparringa said the President had always paid special attention to the deepening of relations with Australia. "Therefore the news has devastated us," he said. Australia's ambassador to Jakarta, Greg Moriarty, was also called in to the foreign ministry to face the music over the spying revelations. President Yudhoyono's foreign affairs spokesman Teuku Faizasyah yesterday said the Australian Government needed to urgently clarify the situation. "The damage has been done and now trust must be rebuilt," he said. Social media sites in Indonesia were aglow with anti-Australian messages. Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday refused to confirm the attempted intercepts. "My first duty is to protect Australia and to advance our national interest," Mr Abbott told Parliament. High-level eavesdropping is common practice for electronic spies, but the publication of documentary evidence is highly embarrassing for Australia and it has generated a flurry of anti-Australian sentiment in Indonesia. The leaked documents obtained by the ABC feature Defence Department letterheads and the motto of the then Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) "reveal their secrets protect our own" The headline on one document is "IA Leadership Targets + Handsets." President Yudhoyono is at the top of the list and his wife, Kristiani Herawati, better known as Ani, is second followed by Vice-President Boediono, who was in Australia last week, and his predecessor Jusuf Kalla. Also listed are former presidential spokesmen Dino Patti Djalal and Andi Mallarangeng and ex-finance minister and senior World Bank official Sri Mulyani. Australia's top electronic spying expert ANU Professor Des Ball from said the directorate had been eavesdropping from its Jakarta embassy under an operation called "Reprieve" and now "Stateroom" since the 1970s. The operation is part of the UK/USA "five eyes" agreement and the information is fed back to super computers in an underground bunker in Canberra for analysis. Professor Ball said he was surprised that ASD had provided written slides to the US National Security Agency that were then leaked by Snowden. "It is very sloppy security practice," he said. Professor Ball, who does not use a mobile phone, also questioned why anyone would use a cell phone given that all mobile phone calls could be monitored. The slides feature Defence Department letterheads and the motto of the then Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) "reveal their secrets protect our own."