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Some disgruntled diplomatic missions including Russia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, will meet next week to discuss a new crackdown which sees diplomats and their dependents no longer immune to the road rules in Canberra. The deal struck between the ACT government and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade means for the first time diplomats who break the road rules or refuse to pay fines will have their driver's licence suspended. High Commissioner for Papua New Guinea, Charles Lepani, who is the dean of the diplomatic corps, said many missions believed any traffic case involving a diplomat was exaggerated by the media and did not reflect the fact that most "most diplomats and their staff adhere to the rules of their host country". He said several missions were upset - feeling "antagonised" and "hassled" by the media - and were meeting next week to draft a formal response to the new road rules system which they would submit with the chief of protocol at DFAT. Mr Lepani said one option was to extend the same restrictions to Australia's diplomats posted in their countries. "We will deal with your diplomats in the same way you are dealing with ours," he said. Mr Lepani also suggested the missions contributed much to the social and economic life of Canberra but negative stories about fines and speeding always won out. "Just imagine if 106 diplomatic posts weren't here, what would happen to Canberra?" he said. But the ACT government and DFAT appear unmoved, with a DFAT spokesperson saying even though most diplomats do the right thing, the new system was "a good outcome in the interests of public safety". The ACT government confirmed on Friday a demerit points system for blue-plated drivers was introduced into the Territory on September 1, with plans for it to go Australia-wide. The Vienna Convention has long protected diplomats who broke the road rules in the ACT from being subject to certain penalties. The convention prevented authorities from cancelling or suspending their driver's licence, even in the face of proven excessive speeding, unpaid fines and other traffic infringements. But the new system will see diplomats' licences suspended onces they accumulate 12 or more demerit points or when traffic fines have remained unpaid for more than 10 weeks. The licence will be suspended from three months to five months, depending on the type of licence and number of demerit points accrued. If the traffic laws continue to be broken, other options will be enforced including that DFAT "will request the departure of any diplomat who demonstrates a serious disregard for Australian law or public safety". "The Canberra community, the Australian Government and the ACT Government expect all road users, including the diplomatic community, to drive safely and to adhere to Australian traffic laws," a statement from the government said. " As the diplomatic community in the ACT continues to grow, we are looking to ensure that it is integrated into the Canberra community as fully as possible. "These changes have been introduced after careful consultation between the ACT RTA and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade." Other missions appeared unflustered by the new system. A spokesperson for the US Embassy said: "We expect US Embassy employees to observe the rules of the road in Australia and personally meet their obligations to Australian traffic jurisdictions in the event of infringements". The new system comes as documents released this week by DFAT under Freedom of Information show diplomats breaking speed limits and other traffic laws in Canberra, and ignoring the penalties. They show DFAT was forced to contact the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia late last year expressing concern that it "tops the list" of embassies who do not obey the road rules or pay its fines. Between June, 2013 and September, 2015, Saudi diplomats racked up 274 unpaid traffic fines totalling $64,735. The offences including exceeding the speed limit by more than 30km/h, parking in disabled parking spots and driving unregistered vehicles. Similarly, DFAT contacted the Embassy of Libya earlier this year alerting it to the fact its staff had accumulated 145 unpaid traffic fines totalling $62,842. The documents also show a vehicle registered with the High Commission of Malaysia was clocked speeding at 140km/h in an 80km/h zone in Curtin earlier this year. The driver was stopped by police and a short time later caught speeding again, this time at 89km/h. The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 outlines that diplomats should respect the laws of the receiving state but the convention is also cited as the reason authorities are unable to cancel or suspend the driver's licence of those with diplomatic status. The DFAT spokesperson said the "arrangements are consistent with our obligations under the Vienna Conventions".

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