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