KL welcomes ICJ ruling against RP

KL welcomes ICJ ruling against RP

MALAYSIA: Kuala Lumpur welcomed an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling against the Philippines in a territorial dispute, but said relations between the countries were good.

The ICJ ruled on Tuesday that the Philippines cannot intervene in a dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia, saying Manila had failed to show it had a clear interest in the case.

The Philippines wanted to intervene because any decision on sovereignty over the islands of Pulau Ligitan and Pulau Sipadan, situated off the coast of Sabah on the island of Borneo, could have a bearing on its dormant territorial claim on parts of North Borneo.

In 1997 Indonesia and Malaysia concluded a special agreement to let the ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, settle the issue of sovereignty over the disputed Celebes Sea islands. Malaysia is expected to cite its ownership of Sabah as the basis for its claim to the islands. --AFP