Malaysia, S'pore discuss island

Malaysia, S'pore discuss island

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia and Singapore began preparatory talks here yesterday to pursue their dispute over a tiny island at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague.

"We are working towards finding a modality to submit the case to the ICJ," the Malaysian foreign ministry's secretary-general, Ahmad Kamil Jaafar, told reporters as he led a 22-member delegation to the talks.

Malaysian officials said the two-day meeting with an 11-member team from Singapore -- led by the senior state counsel in the attorney-general's chambers, S. Tiwari -- will lay the groundwork for the court case.

Both nations have exchanged voluminous documents to back their claims to the rocky outcrop, lying 15 kilometers off Malaysia's southern Johore state.

Kuala Lumpur laid claim about 12 years ago to the island, which it calls Pulau Batu Putih.

Singapore operates a lighthouse on the same island, which it calls Pedra Branca, and claims that administration from Singapore has prevailed over it for the last 150 years.