The executions of three Australian drug couriers in Bali could be highly sensitive for the federal government in an election year, embassy officials have warned Indonesian authorities.
Two officials from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, political counsellor Paul Griffiths and staff member Emily Street, met staff from the Indonesian Attorney-General's office on Tuesday to discuss the fates of Bali Nine members Scott Rush, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, Fairfax newspapers report.
The three are on death row in a Bali jail but plan to lodge a final appeal against their death sentences.
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If their appeals fail, the only way they can avoid the firing squad is through an appeal for clemency direct to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"They told us that it was a sensitive political issue ahead of the election," a spokesman for the Indonesian Attorney-General who attended the meeting, Didiek Darmanto, told Fairfax.
Mr Darmanto said Indonesian officials were not asked to delay any executions until next year, and the Australian delegation was seeking information on the Indonesian legal system.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the meeting was merely a courtesy call and many issues, including the Bali Nine and the extradition of Indonesian corruption suspect Adrian Kiki from Perth, were discussed.
