Singapore, Malaysia Will Accept Any Decision On Pulau Batu Putih

Singapore - Malaysia and Singapore will accept whatever decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague on Pulau Batu Putih in the Johor Straits which has been a long standing and thorny issue in the diplomatic relations between the two close neighbours.

"Whatever is the decision, we will accept it," Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo and his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said Thursday.

"We both agreed that if Malaysia were to win, Singapore would congratulate Malaysia, and ifSingapore were to win, Malaysia would congratulate Singapore," Yeo told a media conference after Rais called on him at his office.

Rais, who is on an introductory visit to Singapore since his appointment as the new Foreign Minister, earlier met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana.

Yeo said the judgment on Pedra Banca (as Singaporeans call Pulau Batu Putih) would likely be made by the ICJ in the middle or end of next month and the outcome would not affect bilateral relations of the two countries.

"Nothing should change," Yeo said, adding that this was the common position that both countries agreed to take and declare it to all Malaysians and Singaporeans.

He said the lighthouse to whoever it belonged to would continue to provide valuable facilities to all navigators.

Both countries have put their claims on the rocky outcrops which had been developed into a lighthouse for sea route navigation into the straits during the colonial era to the extent that it has strained their ties until finally both sides agreed the matter should be decided by the ICJ which sat last year.

On his visit to Singapore, Rais said the visit was very important between the two friendly countries which needed to further step up their close ties.

He said there was no other way for the two countries to strengthen their ties other than to forge straight ahead together for a future within Asean and for the future to share the good fortunes of what the world would have to offer.

"No one will come to us and help us except ourselves and thus the communality between the two nations should be on the top priority list and any difference whatever they are should be left to be scored later," Rais said.

He said opening of the southern economic development corridor‘s agency Iskandar Malaysia‘s office inSingapore yesterday was proof of Malaysia‘s seriousness in forging ahead its bilateral relations withSingapore.

He said both sides needed each other to prosper and Singapore was currently Malaysia‘s second biggest trading partner after the United States, with Malaysia‘s annual trade with the neighbour worth about RM142 billion.

Rais said his ministry would establish special relationship with Singapore in the sense that their future would be together and based on the common things that both sides shared such as people-to-people relations, cultural, political and historical ties.

To create harmonious relations, he said, there must be trust between each other and what was committed through the rule of law or through international arrangements must be respected.

The Minister said Singapore and Malaysia would also work together to strengthen economic and regional resilience within Asean and to ensure the Asean Charter was ratified and fully implemented.

Rais, who was accompanied by Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore Datuk N. Parameswaran on his one-day visit, later met Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew at the Istana and Deputy Prime Minister Prof S. Jayakumar at his office.

Source: www.bernama.com (16 April 2008)