RI vows diplomacy in Ambalat row<\/p>\n
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia said on Friday it would seek a diplomatic solution to
\nits dispute with Malaysia over possession of the Ambalat offshore
\narea, and indicated it would not take the case to an
\ninternational court.<\/p>\n
\"We will utilize all options to convey our position on
\nAmbalat,\" Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marty Natalegawa
\nsaid during his weekly press conference in Jakarta on Friday.<\/p>\n
Marty also indicated the government would not bring the
\nAmbalat dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in
\nthe Hague.<\/p>\n
\"It is not on our agenda,\" he said, adding that the government
\nwould try to settle the dispute through diplomatic channels.<\/p>\n
Indonesia lost the islands of Ligitan and Sipadan, located
\nnear the Ambalat area, to Malaysia in a legal battle at the ICJ
\nin December 2002.<\/p>\n
Located in the Sulawesi Sea off the east coast of Borneo
\nisland, Ambalat, which is thought to have huge oil and gas
\nreserves, is claimed by both Indonesia and Malaysia.<\/p>\n
The Malaysian government says the area is part of its
\nterritory, while Indonesia says that Malaysia's claim is based on
\na map from 1979 that is not recognized by the Indonesian
\ngovernment or most Southeast Asian countries.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has dispatched four Navy warships to the disputed
\narea to conduct patrols as part of its efforts to protect the
\ncountry's sovereignty.<\/p>\n
\"We will continue to say that the area is our territory,\"
\nMarty said.<\/p>\n
Marty objected to the Malaysian government's unilateral
\ndecision to claim the territory.<\/p>\n
\"That is not an acceptable move,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said Indonesia and Malaysia had earlier arranged a forum
\nto discuss maritime borders in the Strait of Malacca, South China
\nSea and Sulawesi Sea.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government lodged a protest against Malaysia
\nlast week after it awarded an oil production sharing contract to
\nAnglo-Dutch giant Royal Dutch Shell in the disputed area.<\/p>\n
In addition to warships, the Indonesian Military has also
\ndeployed two Nomad aircraft to conduct operations to prevent any
\nintrusions into Indonesian territory.<\/p>\n
The Navy said on Friday that four Malaysian military aircraft
\nhad violated Indonesian airspace over the Sulawesi Sea over the
\nlast 10 days.<\/p>\n
The latest reported incident occurred on Thursday, when a
\nBeechcraft plane allegedly flew in Indonesian airspace for 10
\nminutes, Navy Capt. Marsetio said.<\/p>\n
It was the fourth time a Malaysian military aircraft had flown
\ninto Indonesian territory in the past 10 days, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Their Beechcraft was seen from a close distance by our
\nfleet,\" Marsetio told Antara.<\/p>\n
Navy spokesman First Adm. Abdul Malik Yusuf said earlier a
\nletter explaining the incidents had been sent to Malaysia's
\nforeign minister for submission to his government.<\/p>",
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