RI, Malaysia to begin Ambalat talks

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In an attempt to seek a peaceful solution to the Ambalat dispute, technical teams from Indonesia and Malaysia will meet in Jakarta on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa confirmed that the two-day gathering was a result of a meeting between the two countries' foreign ministers in Jakarta on March 10.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda and his Malaysian counterpart Syed Hamid Albar agreed during the meeting to solve the dispute through negotiation.

"In accordance with the decision reached by the two ministers, the technical teams from Indonesia and Malaysia will meet on March 22 and March 23 to discuss the issue of Ambalat," Marty told The Jakarta Post. He did not elaborate.

"We are trying to make things as conducive as possible for the technical meeting to go ahead," he said.

The ministry earlier said the Indonesian team would consist of experts in maritime law, geology, hydrology and mapping, among other things.

"The Indonesian team has been working hard to on preparing for the meeting," another spokesman, Yuri Thamrin, said over the weekend.

They, however, refused to identify the chairman and members of Indonesia's negotiating team.

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