Jakarta: The Indonesian government says it can't be blamed for thinking an Australian official paid people smugglers after the Australian government failed to provide any new information.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said Indonesia had asked for clarification in the hope it would get further information that would provide them with a better understanding of what occurred.
"So, when we did not receive any new information ... we cannot be blamed for taking the view that there was an illicit payment made to the smugglers," Mr Nasir said after a meeting between Australian ambassador to Indonesia Paul Grigson and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Friday.
After the brief 15-minute meeting, Mr Grigson said he had told Ms Retno that Australian officials had always acted within the law.
Indonesian police claim an Australian official paid people smugglers between $US5000 and $US6000 to return to Indonesia last month with 65 asylum seekers.
Ms Retno had asked the ambassador for an explanation at a conference in Jakarta on Saturday.
Mr Grigson - who requested to meet Ms Retno after she returned from Norway this week - said he had passed on the response from Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop.
"I can say to you that Australia remains very committed to co-operate with Indonesia to combat people smuggling in all its forms," he told reporters after the meeting. "And as my Prime Minister said repeatedly ... Australian officials have always acted within the law in this case."
Mr Grigson did not take questions from the media.
Mr Nasir said the letter that Mr Grigson provided to Ms Retno did not provide any new information or a specific answer to her request for clarification.
He said Australia may have made a commitment to co-operate with Indonesia on people smuggling but that was not the evidence in the field.
"Indonesia cannot be blamed if we assume that the bribery took place," Mr Nasir said.
"What has been passed on to the Foreign Minister did not answer her question. If a country has said it's committed to addressing this issue then prove it to us. You have to move beyond national interest, you have to look at common interests."
