I suspect both Abbott's letter and SBY's response are as much posturing as anything.

The elections in Indonesia are probably the main reason for the fuss in the first place.

If we sign up for restrictions that are one way then we are nuts and based on the policy of not commenting on security matters says we are unlikely to do so.

I don't think that the Indonesians will have changed their position or any activity they've been undertaking in relation to intel gathering in Australia.

Wrong SteelBBY! Mata Hari and Rahab would argue with ya on that one; The two professions are the same age and we must defer to their expertise!:yeah:. A problem in logic arises(did I say that!) If 'gentlemen do not read each others mail' and of course everyone IS reading everyone else's mail and some :subsim:ers even confess to sneaking peeks at their xmas gifts, then obviously there are no gentlemen to begin with...which makes Mata and Rahabs' jobs a whole lot simpler! Circe of the Odyssey was probably paid off by Penelope's suitors to detain Odysseus for a year said it best "men are pigs, but love their gryllic state."

Well of course.