Islands rift may be raised during Mahathir's visit
JAKARTA (JP): The lingering dispute over the ownership of the Sipadan and Ligitan islands is likely to find its way into talks between President Soeharto and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad when the latter makes an unofficial visit later this week.
"The issue will very possibly be on their agenda, but it would entirely depend on the two heads of state," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas after meeting with Gambia's Foreign Minister Bolong Landing Sonko yesterday.
Mahathir is scheduled to visit Jakarta on Sept. 16-17 to address an international conference on human resource development, but officials said he would also hold talks with Soeharto during his stay.
The latest round of talks on the dispute ended in a deadlock last week when Malaysia unexpectedly called for arbitration by the United Nations' International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Head of the Indonesian delegation, Izhar Ibrahim, rejected this suggestion saying Indonesia believed a third party was not yet necessary in resolving what he considered to be strictly a bilateral matter.
Alatas in a similar gesture acknowledged that Indonesia's position in the matter was clear.
"We should try to resolve the matter through friendly, bilateral talks, the ASEAN way," he said.
If Indonesia were ever to desire bringing in a third party to help end the dispute, he said, Indonesia would suggest that mechanisms already present in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), such as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, be taken first.
"Only when these fail, should we seek outsiders. But it's not time to involve a third party," Alatas added.
He said that by ending the dispute the "ASEAN way", both countries have a chance of proving ASEAN is capable of solving its own problems through self-created mechanisms.
Located in the Makasar Strait between East Kalimantan and Sabah, East Malaysia, the tiny Sipadan and Ligitan Islands have been disputed between the two countries since the 1960s.
In 1969, the two countries agreed to maintain the status quo until legal ownership was maintained.
Legal documents
Each country possesses what it considers to be legal documents justifying its legitimate rights over the two islands.
"Our documents, showing our position over the islands, are very powerful," Alatas said, adding they are based on earlier agreements between Dutch and British colonizers which stipulate that the islands were once part of Dutch territory and therefore are now part of Indonesia.
Alatas admitted, however, that Malaysia also possesses documents of its own which it considers legitimate.
During the talks in Jakarta last week, Malaysia added some 22 more documents to the 67 already presented.
Although ASEAN has had to face various bilateral and multilateral disputes over the years, with debate becoming heated at times, Alatas said he did not consider these to be signs of a weakening "ASEAN solidarity."
"I only consider that once in a while, (member countries) need to be reminded that there are higher interests and principles at stake," he said.
Meanwhile, Armed Forces (ABRI) chief spokesman Brig. Gen. Syarwan Hamid yesterday assured that the Indonesian military would not interfere in the Sipadan-Ligitan dispute.
Syarwan, who was in Kuala Lumpur to accompany ABRI Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung, was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying that the diplomatic efforts made by Indonesia was the "best alternative" the two countries had to promote good relations.
The Malaysia Armed Forces yesterday presented the medal for the Distinguished Commander of Armed Forces to Gen. Feisal what it considers as his extraordinary accomplishments in improving relations between the two countries.
The honors, which is said to be of a higher degree than the titles "Tan Seri" or "Datok", has been given in the past to Feisal's predecessors Benny Moerdani and Try Sutrisno, currently the vice president. (pwn)