Australian Prime Minister breaks silence: "We learned a lesson"

Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, addressed for the first time the Israeli spy affair of Ben Zeiger, and appeared today (Thursday) to state media on the issue.

After writing an internal report on the subject, she said: "We have learned some lessons about working procedures when a person is arrested with charges related to intelligence."

Gillard added that the family of Zeiger "never sought consular assistance. But the report shows us that there could have been more successful cooperation between the Australian Intelligence Agency and the State Department regarding the activities of Australian consular involvement with this young man."

Australia's foreign minister criticized the Australian Foreign Ministry, after an internal report found that the ministry did not forward the news of the arrest of Zeiger to the correct destination and did not offer consular assistance of its own initiative.

According to the report, the Ministry of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, knew about the Zeiger's arrest early in 2010, but they claim that they do not remember having ever been briefed about it personally.

Opposition party leader, Christine Milne, criticized the Minister of Foreign Affairs: "When will Mr. Carr put pressure on the Israeli government in these matters? And will Stephen Smith confess what he was told at the time in his department and did Prime Minister Rudd say what happened," she asked.

Foreign Minister Carr said that there was no evidence that Zeiger was involved in the assassination in Dubai of Hamas leader, Mahmoud Mabhouh, and that there is no evidence for non-valid passports issued for Zeiger, but noted that the checking the affair has raised some unanswered questions regarding passports issued for Australian citizens who held dual citizenship and worked for foreign governments.

He said Canberra should make the "most severe condemnation" if it becomes clear that Israel had used Australian passports for the purpose of espionage. "

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