Balibo not discussed in meeting: Smith

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith didn't discuss a federal police investigation into
the 1975 deaths of five Australian-based journalists in Balibo when he met his
Indonesian counterpart in New York.
But he says he talked with Hassan Wirajuda by phone before he left Australia and
stressed the Australian Federal Police (AFP) probe was independent of the
government.
"We didn't (discuss Balibo) today, but before I left Australia, in one of my regular
telephone conversations with Hassan Wirajuda, we had a lengthy telephone
conversation and we dealt with that matter," Mr Smith told Sky News.
During that phone call, Mr Smith made the point when it came to launching an AFP
investigation "it is of course an independent decision by the federal police".
The fact Balibo wasn't raised during the face-to-face meeting didn't mean Indonesia
was no longer worried about the investigation, Mr Smith said.
"It means we continue to both share the view that this is an issue that needs to be
managed carefully and sensitively."
The AFP announced earlier this month it would launch an official investigation into
the 1975 deaths of five Australian-based journalists in the East Timorese border
town of Balibo.
It comes almost two years after a NSW coroner concluded they had been deliberately
killed by Indonesian forces.