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.