Tiff should not hurt ties: Singapore

Tiff should not hurt ties: Singapore

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore and Malaysia have agreed that a dispute over the idea of reunification should not be allowed to damage bilateral ties, Singapore Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar said in remarks published yesterday.

"When Minister Badawi and I spoke yesterday, we agreed that bilateral relations between the two countries were good, and this latest episode should not be allowed to harm relations," Jayakumar told journalists late on Tuesday.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Badawi on Monday called in Singapore High Commissioner Low Choon Ming to his office and also spoke by telephone with Jayakumar to express concern over controversial remarks about a re-merger.

Singapore Premier Goh Chok Tong ignited a debate last month when he said the prosperous island might be forced in the future to seek a reunion with Malaysia on Kuala Lumpur's terms if Singapore loses its economic edge.