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KUALA LUMPUR : Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Friday said he was optimistic that Malaysia and Singapore would revisit plans to build a controversial bridge linking the two countries.
Malaysia last year ditched long-fought-over plans to build the bridge to replace an ageing causeway, saying Singapore's demands for airspace access and sand for reclamation projects in return for its agreement was unacceptable.
But speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong next week, Abdullah said both countries will be connected by more than one bridge in the future.
"I have said that one day I believe that between Malaysia and Singapore, there will be many more bridges like the ones between New York and Manhattan and in Korea," Abdullah told reporters.
While both countries have "a different approach" to the subject, eventually more bridges would have to be built to cope with the increasing traffic flow, said Abdullah.
He said he would approach the talks with Lee on May 15 on Malaysia's northern tourist island of Langkawi with "an open mind."
Construction of the bridge has been among a number of unresolved bilateral issues the two neighbours have squabbled over for years.
Others include the price of water supplied to Singapore, the future of Malaysian-owned railway land in Singapore and rival territorial claims to a rocky islet off Malaysia's southern Johor state.
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar last week said bilateral ties between the two countries were "at their best" but noted outstanding matters that have dragged on for years.
Relations have often been stormy since Singapore left the Malaysian federation in 1965 over ethnic issues but they have undergone a marked improvement in recent years, especially in economic cooperation. - AFP/ms
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