Three states to discuss security

Three states to discuss security

INDONESIA: The ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore
will discuss the security at Malacca Strait at a meeting on the
island of Bintan next month, an Indonesian foreign affairs
ministry official has said.

"Due to the increasing security problems in the Malacca Strait
these days, Indonesian foreign ministers have initiated a meeting
at Bintan to discuss comprehensive security issues and to try to
find a common perception on the steps we should all take to
secure the Strait in the future," foreign ministry spokesman
Marty Natalegawa said on Friday.

Indonesia and Malaysia have in the past rejected suggestions
that the U.S. or other foreign navies be allowed to help patrol
the pirate-infested strait.

While acknowledging that the U.S. recognized that the
responsibility for the Malacca Strait was with the littoral
states, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick told
the Malaysian government last week that his government was ready
to provide capacity building to enhance security in the waterway.

"The meeting (in Bintan) will show the coastal states'
responsibility to maintain security at the Strait," Marty said.
-- JP