Singapore blames Malaysia for leaking negotiation details

SINGAPORE'S Foreign Ministry Monday blamed Malaysian officials for the alleged leakage of the details of secret talks between the two countries and the distortion of water trading between the two neighbors.

"Singapore was surprised that Malaysian officials had chosen to leak details of confidential negotiations still in progress to the Malaysian press in a distorted form," a spokesman of the ministry said in a response to inquiries from the press regarding an article published in the June 5 edition of the Star.

"The Malaysians were the ones who had wanted the discussions to be kept confidential. They seem to have changed their minds," the spokesman said.

The Star reported that Malaysia has asked Singapore to look elsewhere for its future water needs after Singapore refused to budge from its demand that Johor, Malaysia's southern-most state bordering Singapore, double its water supply to Singapore under a new 100-year agreement ending in 2161.

In his comment, the spokesman warned that if the talks failed to make as much progress as expected, the blame would be placed on Malaysia.

Under the existing agreements of 1961 and 1962, Johor is bound to supply 350 million gallons of raw water a day to Singapore until the year 2061.

The spokesman noted that Singapore has always told Malaysia that its request for water beyond 2061 is contingent on Malaysia satisfying its own water needs first.

"Singapore has also proposed that part of our long-term water requirements could be met by Pahang," another state of Malaysia, he said.

The spokesman affirmed that his country would take a constructive approach at the negotiations and look forward to the next round, which is to be hosted by Malaysia in June or August.

Officials from the two neighbors have met in three rounds of talks this year for a package to solve problems between the two countries.