Canberra (ANTARA News) - Indonesian and Australian governments agreed on Wednesday to intensify discussion on efforts to fight against people smuggling.

Visiting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the two countries had agreed to heighten fight against the people smuggling to Australia through Indonesia.

"Discussion on transnational crime including people smuggling will continue to be stepped up more effectively," President Yudhoyono said at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd after a bilateral meeting at Australian Parliament building in Canberra on Wednesday.

The Indonesian president explained that the handling of boat people to Australia should be jointly made by Indonesia and Australia and other international institution.

"The handling of boat people is a very complex because it relates law, security, and humanitarian issues, and that is why we need to coordinate and to cooperate very closely in handling it," President Yudhoyono said.

According to the president, more effective cooperation and mechanism were needed in the way how to manage the boat people made a stopover in Indonesia in view of law, security, and their status.

In a joint statement after the bilateral meeting of the two leaders, it was said that Indonesia and Australia at present were cooperating to overcome the complexity of the people smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal immigrants.

The two leaders also agreed to boost cooperation in fighting extremism and Rudd congratulated Indonesia`s efforts to dismantle terror networks.

The praise came after counter-terrorism forces on Tuesday killed a man believed to have been one of the masterminds of the 2002 Bali bombings during a raid in Pamulang, some 30 kilometers west of Jakarta.

President Yudhoyono will later on Wednesday become only the fifth foreign leader to address a joint sitting of Australia`s parliament, a day after receiving Australia`s highest civilian honor for his work after the 2002 Bali bombing.(*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli

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