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• Singapore claim 'contravenes UN law of the sea'
• Rep: It’s an act of provocation

©Bernama (Used by permission)
From Tengku Noor Shamsiah

SINGAPORE, July 23 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Singapore are working on all the technical and legal points pertaining to Batu Puteh, which is now under the latter and the Middle Rocks, which now belongs to Malaysia, and the status of the South Ledge.

"The technical committee of both countries will work out the format, scope and determine what are the areas to be cleared through legal and technical means within their capability or within the capability of other experts," said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

Rais was speaking to reporters after attending the Asean Ministerial Meeting with its dialogue partners here Wednesday.

He had earlier attended bilateral meetings with the United States and Russia as well as other side meetings.

It had been reported that Singapore was to claim an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around Batu Puteh, the rocky outcrop awarded to the republic by the International Court of Justice last May in settling an ownership dispute with Malaysia.

The island state's Senior Minister of State Balaji Sadasivan said Singapore had a territorial sea limit that extended up to a maximum of 12 nautical miles and an EEZ which was consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of Dec 10 1982, to which Singapore was a party.

Rais said relations between Malaysia and Singapore were not in any way affected by the latest development.

"It is on a very good constructive ground, and the atmosphere of friendship, cordiality and cooperation is as intact as it has been," he said.

Rais said : "If there is a necessity or legal requirement under the United Nations Law of the Sea, we will seek their advice on this.

"We will now await for the report from the technical committees which will respectively submit their reports to their various authorities."

Rais said during his conversation with his Singapore counterpart George Yeo today, they agreed as before that the technical committee of both countries should be the direct entity to be responsible for the work henceforth.

He said each technical committee would report to their respective government. "If there are problems arising out of their findings or there is a necessity for both of them to meet, we will take the matter up," said Rais, who is leading the Malaysian delegation to the 41st Asean Ministerial Meeting here.

Asked on the issue of Singapore claiming the EEZ, Rais said: "They don't claim EEZ, whatever they are trying to do, it will be inclusive of matters that may pertain to EEZ, therefore we will await their findings and suggestions."

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