Singapore looks to Geneva to settle dispute with Indonesia
Singapore looks to Geneva to settle dispute with Indonesia
Indonesia and Singapore have agreed to seek a solution to a
dispute over a consignment of material the city-state considers
organic fertilizer but Jakarta describes as hazardous waste
exported to the island of Batam, the Singapore government said on
Thursday.
The agreement to find an acceptable solution under the Basel
Convention was reached after talks on Wednesday in Jakarta
between Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo and his Indonesian
counterpart Hassan Wirayuda.
The talks paved the way for the two countries to meet in
Geneva on March 23 and 24 for talks hosted by the Secretariat of
the Basel Convention, according to a statement on Thursday from
Singapore's Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.
Such a meeting "would resolve this matter in accordance with
international agreements and in a manner that serves the best
interests of both Singapore and Indonesia", it said.
The ministry said Indonesia had notified the Secretariat of
the Basel Convention (SBC) of its list of hazardous waste covered
under the country's law on July 29, two days after the material
in question had been exported to Batam to improve the condition
of a site being developed into a high-technology farming
facility.
Singapore received a notification from the secretariat on Aug.
27, the statement said, adding Indonesia's notice to the
secretariat did not state the toxicity concentration limits under
its domestic laws.
The secretariat on March 1 offered to assist the two
countries. Singapore's National Environment Agency accepted the
offer, but there was no response from Indonesia's State Ministry
of the Environment (KLH).
"Singapore was thus taken aback to learn that KLH was
unilaterally shipping the material back to Singapore and
disregarding the offer ... of the SBC which it had itself
requested," the statement said.
"We thus hope that Indonesia will agree to the March 23 to 24
meeting in Geneva proposed by the SBC," it added.
Batam is a 45-minute ferry ride from Singapore. --DPA