Dispute should not hurt ties: Syed Hamid

The Straits Times, November 10, 2007
By Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief


IN KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA is confident of its case on Pedra Branca and hopes that the dispute will not become an irritant in bilateral relations, its Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said.

He said Malaysia understood that once both parties agreed to go to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, the decision is final.

'I hope we are mature enough, both sides. There are so many irritants, but we are not conducting our foreign policy on irritants,' he said told Channel NewsAsia (CNA) during an interview for the run-up to the Asean Summit in Singapore.

In a news segment aired yesterday, he said both countries should look at their long-term interests instead.

Malaysia is expected to begin making its submissions to the ICJ next week on its dispute with Singapore over the island of Pedra Branca, which it calls Pulau Batu Putih, and two rocky outcrops.

Asked by CNA about Malaysia's chances, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid said Malaysia would not have agreed to have the case brought to the ICJ if it did not feel that it had a strong case.

'We do not go to the court because we think we will win by chance, but (because) we believe in the correctness of our position,' he said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters after the Umno assembly yesterday that he would not comment on Malaysia's chances, but would rather let both countries ventilate their case in court.