Malaysia seeks 'code of conduct' for Spratlys islands

Malaysia seeks 'code of conduct' for Spratlys islands

Reuters, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia is pushing Southeast Asian nations with territorial claims over the disputed Spratly islands to sign a "code-of- conduct" over the use of the area, a government official said on Wednesday.

The archipelago, a collection of around 100 submerged banks, reefs and tiny islets in the South China Sea, is claimed all or in part by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Fueling rivalries is speculation that significant oil and gas reserves may lie beneath the tropical waters in the archipelago -- which has less than 5 square km (2 square miles) of land but covers nearly 410,000 square km (158,000 square miles) of ocean.

A pact would lower tension until the competing claims are resolved, officials at the Malaysian foreign ministry told Reuters.

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), whose foreign ministers are due to meet in Brunei between July 26 and Aug. 2.

Malaysian officials said Kuala Lumpur will propose a Spratly declaration be signed at the meeting.

"We hope the proposal will go well with the other ASEAN members," said a foreign ministry official in Kuala Lumpur.

The Spratlys' sovereignty has been one the prickliest issues in the region, with sporadic clashes between fishermen and naval vessels in recent years.

The islands have no civilian population although most of the claimant nations have occupied some islands or reefs, according to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's world fact book.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said on Tuesday the six claimants had trouble agreeing on how to define the archipelago geographically.

"If we cannot arrive at a consensus...then we must be seen to be doing something that contributes to the easing of tension...that is we make a declaration which we all can sign and declare our position," he said.

ASEAN's 10 members also include Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.