Malaysia, RI to limit warships in Ambalat

Malaysia, RI to limit warships in Ambalat

Agencies, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed that only one warship from each country should patrol a disputed oil-rich maritime area following recent clashes, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Sunday.

The withdrawal of all other naval vessels from the Ambalat area in the Sulawesi Sea off the coast of Borneo island would be carried out simultaneously, Najib, who is also defense minister, was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

He said Malaysia welcomed the agreement, which was reached at last week's meeting between Malaysian Navy chief Adm. Mohamad Anwar Mohamad Nor and his Indonesian counterpart Rear Adm. Slamet Soebiyanto.

The move should prevent a repeat of a recent near collision of navy ships from the two countries, the New Straits Times quoted Malaysian Navy chief Adm. Mohamad Anwar Mohamad Nor as saying.

The admiral did not disclose how many ships were patrolling the area at the moment.

"The agreement is not only about avoiding collisions but the way the navies of the two countries should carry out their duties without getting into conflicts," Mohamad Anwar was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.

Navy ships from the two countries "brushed against each other" on April 8 due to a "judgment error", he said without elaborating.

Earlier this month warships from the two countries brushed sides near the Karang Unarang reef east of Borneo island, where Indonesia is building a lighthouse to strengthen its territorial claims in the disputed region.

Both countries have lodged official protests with each other over the incident.

Tensions are high in the area after Malaysia granted an oil concession in the region on Feb. 16 to Anglo-Dutch firm Shell. Jakarta says the blocks awarded by state oil firm Petronas are not in territory controlled by Malaysia.

Officials from both sides began negotiations to settle the overlapping claims to the area last month and are due to meet again in May.

The two countries have locked horns over the region before. A dispute over the ownership of two islands ended in December 2002 with an International Court of Justice ruling that the islands belong to Malaysia.