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JAKARTA: Indonesia and Malaysia agreed Tuesday to ease military tensions over disputed oil-rich waters off northeastern Borneo, during talks between the countries' defence ministers in Jakarta.
Indonesian Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono met his Malaysian counterpart, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, in a bid to defuse concerns that military manoeuvres in the sensitive Ambalat area of the Sulawesi sea could lead to clashes.
"Mobilised troops have to be measured in their actions, especially around those areas, so there is no perception of violations," Sudarsono told reporters after the meeting.
"We agree that each country's sea patrols have to be extra cautious in determining patrol pathways, in accordance with the line that each regards as its own territory."
Jakarta has repeatedly complained that Malaysian warships have violated Indonesian territory around Ambalat, accusations Kuala Lumpur denies.
The issue has stirred strong nationalist sentiment in Indonesia and fed incendiary campaign rhetoric ahead of presidential elections on July 8.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla has frequently raised the Ambalat dispute on the campaign trial, saying in a recent speech in East Kalimantan: "We have to defend it by whatever means we have, dialogue or even war."
International borders in the area off Borneo island have yet to be determined, with each country claiming the area as its own.
Malaysia's claims are based on a 1979 maritime chart, while Indonesia uses the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which states the area belongs to Jakarta.
"It's about the perception of who started it, provoked or violated. But actually that issue has to be avoided," Ahmad said.
"I have told our officials and soldiers that in whatever situation we have to be cautious so we are not regarded as careless."
- AFP/yb
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