RI, Malaysia take steps to mend rift

RI, Malaysia take steps to mend rift

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In an effort to prevent xenophobia fueled by the Ambalat dispute
from spreading in the two countries, Indonesia and Malaysia met
in Jakarta on Wednesday and agreed to solve the row peacefully on
the negotiating table, rather than the battlefield.

After a meeting between Indonesia's Minister of Foreign
Affairs Hassan Wirayuda and his Malaysian counterpart, Syed Hamid
Albar, the two countries issued a joint press statement late on
Wednesday.

"Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to use peaceful means to solve
the maritime border issues, particularly the Ambalat issue" the
statement said.

The two countries agreed to use the 1982 UN Convention on the
Law of the Sea in solving the problem.

Syed Hamid arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday to attend the 15th
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-European Union
(EU) Ministerial Meeting.

After exchanging views on the Ambalat dispute, the two
ministers agreed to take the necessary steps to ease the growing
tension that had developed during the last several days.

The statement announced that the two countries' technical
teams would meet in Indonesia from March 22 to March 23 to
discuss the Ambalat dispute and would continue to meet on a
regular basis.

Prior to the meeting, Hassan said that the territorial dispute
between Indonesia and Malaysia must be settled through peaceful
negotiations and urged Kuala Lumpur to avoid "unilateral and
aggressive" claims.

He said that Indonesia had requested for some time a meeting
with Malaysia to resolve the territorial dispute between the two
countries, including in the Malacca Strait, Natuna Waters and the
Sulawesi Sea.

"We urge Malaysia (to resolve it) because international law
requires a border dispute to be solved through negotiations and
not through unilateral, aggressive claims," Hassan said.

For its part, Malaysia said on Wednesday it may refer the
dispute to the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ)
if negotiations between the two sides fail.

"I suppose if, in the final analysis, we come to the point
that our positions are far apart for some reason, the next
recourse will be the ICJ," Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib
Razak told Reuters on Wednesday after delivering a speech to
business leaders in London.

However, Najib said he hoped it would not come to that.

"For anything to be referred to the International Court of
Justice, both the countries must agree to it. The first move
would be to conduct negotiations ... to see whether there is a
meeting of minds."

Previously, Indonesia said the ICJ was not something it was
considering in the Ambalat dispute.

In December 2002, Indonesia lost Ligitan and Sipadan islands
to Malaysia in a legal battle at the ICJ.

Speaking after bilateral talks with the Italian Minister of
State for Foreign Affairs Margherita Boniver, Hassan said that
diplomatic channels were the best way to settle the border
dispute.

Syed Hamid said on Tuesday that Malaysia would also seek to
avoid a clash with Indonesia but stressed it would not compromise
on its territorial interest and sovereignty. He also accused the
Indonesian media of trying to blow the issue out of proportion.

Hassan indicated that the Indonesian government would not
bargain with Malaysia over the disputed area.

"We are not offering anything to Malaysia because we are
convinced that our claims to the land, sea, continental shelves
and exclusive economic zones have a strong basis," he said.

"But we need to seek clarification from Malaysia about reasons
for their claims (in the Ambalat area)," he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who visited Sebatik, an
island split between Malaysia and Indonesia, which is home to
military garrisons belonging to both countries, has said that the
two countries would not put their good ties at stake just because
of a border issue.