Habibie, Mahathir meet to improve bilateral ties
Habibie, Mahathir meet to improve bilateral ties
BATAM, Riau (JP): President B.J. Habibie and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad met here on Thursday to exchange information on the latest developments in their respective countries.
The two leaders said they had cleared up border disputes and some other bilateral issues, which were described by Mahathir as "minor bilateral problems".
"There were some problems about logging and trading at the border and about border crossings. These have been cleared up," Mahathir said in joint press conference with Habibie after their 90-minute summit at Nongsa Point Marina Hotel.
During the meeting, Habibie was accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, Minister of Industry and Trade Rahardi Ramelan and Minister of Justice Muladi.
Mahathir was accompanied by Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar and Minister of International Trade Rafidah Azizah.
"As a result of this meeting, we are all aware of the latest developments in our respective countries," Mahathir said.
Habibie said he had agreed with Mahathir to boost bilateral ties in economic, cultural and social affairs and to work together to upgrade industries and human resources.
"It is easy for Malaysia and Indonesia to work together because of the compatibility of our cultures," he said.
Although unwilling to specify all the "minor bilateral problems", Mahathir made special reference to logging problems in Kalimantan.
Last month, Habibie revoked Presidential Decree No. 44/1994, which gave the Maju Kerja Foundation sole logging rights in the "security belt" along the border with Malaysia in East and West Kalimantan.
The foundation, which has close links to the military, controlled over 834,500 hectares of forest in West Kalimantan and 265,000 hectares of forest in East Kalimantan.
Neither leader was willing to say whether the issue of illegal Indonesian immigrants in Malaysia came up for discussion. About one million Indonesians are now thought to working in Malaysia, mainly in plantations and the construction industry.
Earlier this year, Mahathir complained that in the first three months of 1999, the number of illegal immigrants crossing into Malaysia from Indonesia was almost the same as in the whole of 1998. He promised to raise the matter with Habibie.
"The meeting was arranged to keep us close together, provide an update of each other's problems, identify solutions to these problems, and encourage greater cooperation in the fields of economics and culture," Mahathir said.
Anwar
Indonesian officials said the main purpose of the meeting was to improve the two leaders' personal relations, which took a turn for the worse after Habibie expressed concern over the arrest of former Malaysian finance minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Mahathir openly expressed irritation at Habibie's support for Anwar, who was last month found guilty of corruption and sentenced to six years in jail.
In October, Habibie and Philippines President Joseph Estrada met in Batam and jointly urged Mahathir to provide Anwar with better treatment. Habibie also received Anwar's eldest daughter Nurul Izzah before the meeting with Estrada.
"The President realizes that Mahathir may have been hurt by his show of support for Anwar and he wants to improve their personal relations," said a senior Habibie aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Habibie telephoned Mahathir last month to arrange a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, but the venue was later switched to Batam.
The meeting went ahead on the condition that Habibie would promise not monopolize the discussions, as Mahathir suggested he had been prone to do while minister of research and technology.
"If we meet for two hours then we must share the time fairly," an official quoted Mahathir as telling the President during a telephone conversation. (prb)