JAKARTA, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday denounced foreign groups which openly support separatism in Papua Province, saying his government would never tolerate such groups.

    "Indonesia will show no tolerance to any elements in any countries, including Australia, which openly support or play part in a separatist movement in Papua," the president said in a news conference at his office here.

    Susilo said he was convinced with Australian government's strong commitment to supporting the Indonesian sovereignty and territorial integrity, but urging the neighbor to implement its official stance in all government's decisions.

    "This is the basic stance of Indonesia. We must accommodate those all (common interests) to build a more effective cooperation framework in the future," he said.

    Indonesia and Australia have been in diplomatic spat since Australia last month granted protection visas to 42 asylum seekers from Papua, a decision which triggered Jakarta to recall its envoy in Canberra.

    The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry accused Australia of turning a blind eye to groups in Australia that support separatism in Papua.

    Papua was a colony of the Dutch government before it joined Indonesia in 1963 through a referendum. A small-scale separatist movement has been launched since then by the Free Papua Movement and clashes occasionally erupted between the group and the Indonesian security officers. Enditem