RI vows diplomacy in Ambalat row
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Indonesia said on Friday it would seek a diplomatic solution to its dispute with Malaysia over possession of the Ambalat offshore area, and indicated it would not take the case to an international court.
"We will utilize all options to convey our position on Ambalat," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marty Natalegawa said during his weekly press conference in Jakarta on Friday.
Marty also indicated the government would not bring the Ambalat dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague.
"It is not on our agenda," he said, adding that the government would try to settle the dispute through diplomatic channels.
Indonesia lost the islands of Ligitan and Sipadan, located near the Ambalat area, to Malaysia in a legal battle at the ICJ in December 2002.
Located in the Sulawesi Sea off the east coast of Borneo island, Ambalat, which is thought to have huge oil and gas reserves, is claimed by both Indonesia and Malaysia.
The Malaysian government says the area is part of its territory, while Indonesia says that Malaysia's claim is based on a map from 1979 that is not recognized by the Indonesian government or most Southeast Asian countries.
Indonesia has dispatched four Navy warships to the disputed area to conduct patrols as part of its efforts to protect the country's sovereignty.
"We will continue to say that the area is our territory," Marty said.
Marty objected to the Malaysian government's unilateral decision to claim the territory.
"That is not an acceptable move," he said.
He said Indonesia and Malaysia had earlier arranged a forum to discuss maritime borders in the Strait of Malacca, South China Sea and Sulawesi Sea.
The Indonesian government lodged a protest against Malaysia last week after it awarded an oil production sharing contract to Anglo-Dutch giant Royal Dutch Shell in the disputed area.
In addition to warships, the Indonesian Military has also deployed two Nomad aircraft to conduct operations to prevent any intrusions into Indonesian territory.
The Navy said on Friday that four Malaysian military aircraft had violated Indonesian airspace over the Sulawesi Sea over the last 10 days.
The latest reported incident occurred on Thursday, when a Beechcraft plane allegedly flew in Indonesian airspace for 10 minutes, Navy Capt. Marsetio said.
It was the fourth time a Malaysian military aircraft had flown into Indonesian territory in the past 10 days, he said.
"Their Beechcraft was seen from a close distance by our fleet," Marsetio told Antara.
Navy spokesman First Adm. Abdul Malik Yusuf said earlier a letter explaining the incidents had been sent to Malaysia's foreign minister for submission to his government.