[An Nahar] Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop lashed out Wednesday at Edward Snowden, accusing the U.S. intelligence leaker of "unprecedented treachery" after he unveiled Canberra's efforts to spy on Indonesia.Bishop praised cooperation with Washington and reserved harsh words for Snowden, whose revelations led Indonesia to halt work with Australia to stem people smuggling, a key priority for new conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Shortly before a meeting with U.S. Vice President
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in Washington, Bishop said Snowden "continues to shamefully betray his nation while skulking in Russia.
"This represents unprecedented treachery; he is no hero," she added, in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"Snowden claims his actions were driven by a desire for transparency, but in fact they strike at the heart of the collaboration between those nations in world affairs that stand at the forefront of protecting human freedom," she said.
Reports based on Snowden's leaks said that the close US ally tried to bug the phones of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and members of his inner circle in 2009.
Indonesia protested by recalling its ambassador and suspending military and immigration cooperation.