Malaysia-Singapore
ties seen on 'positive path'
Reuters. February 22, 1999.
SINGAPORE and Malaysia have agreed to meet on a slate of thorny
bilateral issues plaguing bilateral relations over recent months, senior
ministers from both countries said over the weekend.
Both sides have a clear desire to resolve outstanding issues, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying in an interview with the Singapore Straits Times.
"We are positive about wanting to achieve a settlement of matters to the satisfaction of both sides," Syed Hamid said in the interview published on Monday.
The minister also said a speedy resolution was possible if discussions were kept out of the public domain.
Singapore's Business Times newspaper quoted Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong as saying on Sunday that "a positive move" had been made on the issue of Malaysian customs and immigration facilities in the city state.
Singapore was waiting for Malaysia to suggest a date for a meeting, the prime minister told the newspaper.
On Saturday, Malaysian newspaper The Star reported that Syed Hamid had written to Singapore Foreign Minister Shanmugam Jayakumar saying that Malaysia was willing to proceed with discussions on bilateral issues.
The talks would seek a package agreement on issues such as Malaysia's continued supply of water to Singapore and customs and immigration facilities at a railway station in the island state.