S'pore, KL hail new era of ties

S'pore, KL hail new era of ties

SINGAPORE: Singapore and Malaysia on Tuesday welcomed a new era
of warm bilateral relations as they signed an agreement settling
a long-running dispute over the city-state's land reclamation
works.

The agreement is the first time the Southeast Asian neighbors
have settled one of several major bilateral disputes and senior
officials from both sides said they were now optimistic the other
issues could also be amicably resolved.

"I consider this a milestone in Malaysia-Singapore relations,"
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said at a news
conference here during the signing ceremony for the agreement.

"My government and I are very delighted that our two countries
have been able to reach an amicable solution through a settlement
agreement."

The deal allows Singapore to continue reclamation works in the
narrow Straits of Johor, a busy international waterway that
divides the two nations, while cooperating with Malaysia to
ensure navigational safety and environmental protection.

Singapore will modify the design of the shoreline of its
reclamation works so the waterway is wider than originally
planned in one section, as recommended by a group of independent
experts set up by the two countries. --AFP