Malaysia and Singapore grapple with water dispute
Malaysia and Singapore grapple with water dispute
Barani Krishnan Reuters Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia and Singapore began talks on Monday to try to seal a tricky deal on water supply for Singapore, the thorniest bilateral issue between the two neighbors.
The water disagreement has muddied negotiations over other problems such as the use of Malaysian airspace by Singapore air force fighters.
Singapore's Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar set the tone for the when he said a mutually satisfying deal was needed, but that progress was not possible without compromise.
"We must conduct our discussions on the basis that nothing is settled until everything is settled," he said before the talks got underway at Putrajaya, the Malaysian government's new administrative center just south of Kuala Lumpur.
"It will not be easy, but I firmly believe it is possible to reach an agreement provided that there is the political will and mutual goodwill on both sides," Jayakumar added.
His host and counterpart Syed Hamid Albar had similar advice for the Singaporeans.
"The greatest challenge before us is not to outdo one another. This is not an exercise in one upmanship," the Malaysian foreign minister said in a statement obtained by media.
"Water is a resource that Malaysia values but has always been willing to share with its neighbor Singapore. All of us realize it is a scarce commodity that we have to manage well," he added.
The main agenda for the two-day meeting will be a discussion on Malaysia's formula for fixing the price of both raw and treated water drawn from Malaysia's southern state of Johor.
The formula, yet to be made public, was proposed by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew in March after earlier talks made little headway.
Syed Hamid Albar has said that if a deal on water could be reached, other bilateral disputes could be resolved as a package.
He said a news conference could be held by Tuesday noon if an agreement was concluded.
Singapore now pays three Malaysian cents (less than one U.S. cent) for every thousand gallons of raw water piped from Johor.
It has offered to pay 45 Malaysian cents when a supply agreement runs out in 2011 and 60 cents after 2061, with adjustments every five years.
Malaysia provides about half of Singapore's water needs. The agreement expiring 2011 stipulates the island can draw 88 millions gallons daily (mgd) from Johor while the one ending 2061 allows another 50 mgd.