Badawi says KL won't use force

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has promised to avoid both the use of force and legal action through the international tribunal to resolve its dispute with Indonesia over an offshore oil field in the Sulawesi Sea.

The prime minister, however, insisted on Malaysia's sovereignty over the Ambalat block.

Badawi made the statements during a meeting on Monday with four Indonesian Muslim leaders -- including Said Aqiel Siradj of Nahdlatul Ulama, Din Syamsuddin of Muhammadiyah, Cholil Badawi of the Indonesian Islamic Propagation Council and Nazri Adlani of the Indonesian Ulema Council -- who were visiting Kuala Lumpur.

"During the meeting, Pak Badawi said that his country had no intention of occupying certain areas of our (Indonesia) territory. He, however, stressed that the borderlines marking Indonesian and Malaysian territory are overlapping," Said told The Jakarta Post over the phone after Monday's meeting.

"Pak Badawi believed that we (Indonesia and Malaysia) could pursue bilateral talks to determine which part of the area belongs to us and which part is Malaysia's," he added.

According to Said, the bilateral talks are slated to be held on March 23 and will be attended by foreign ministers from both Indonesia and Malaysia.

During the meeting, the Muslim leaders also asked whether Badawi would pull back Malaysia's warships and patrol boats that had been deployed nearby the Ambalat offshore area. The prime minister replied that he would maintain the presence of the ships and patrol boats in a bid to secure the maritime territory.

The Ambalat oil field is situated near the islands of Sipadan and Ligitan that had been in dispute for years between Malaysia and Indonesia. The International Court of Justice eventually awarded Malaysia sovereignty over the islands in 2002. However, Indonesia insists that Malaysia's maritime territory extends only 19 kilometers from the islands, meaning that the Ambalat block belongs to Indonesia.

The visit of the Indonesian Muslim leaders comes amid heightened tension between Malaysia and Indonesia over the border issue. Initially, they had also planned to meet with their Malaysian counterparts, but according to Said, the plan had been canceled because "most Malaysians here are not aware of the Ambalat issue."

Separately, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono telephoned on Monday Libyan President Moamar Qadhafi to respond to the current situation in the border area.

According to Indonesian presidential spokesman Dino Pati Djalal, the conversation lasted for about 10 minutes, during which Qadhafi expressed his concern regarding "the increasing hardship and conflict among the Islamic community."

"He (Qadhafi) expressed his dismay over the growing dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia, which are the two most important Muslim countries in the world. Mr. Qadhafi urged Indonesia and Malaysia to settle the dispute peacefully," Dino said, adding that Susilo had been receptive to Qadhafi's plea.

Malaysia chairs the Organization of Islamic Conference, of which Indonesia and Libya are members.