Indonesia, Malaysia start talks on border dispute

Indonesia and Malaysia on Tuesday began negotiations to settle a dispute over an oil-rich maritime area claimed by the two countries, the Indonesian foreign ministry said as quoted by AFP.

Foreign ministry spokesman Yuri Thamrin said the two-day meeting, the first to deal directly with the issue, was being held behind closed doors at a secret location.

"We are not disclosing the venue of the meeting to allow a favorable atmosphere for the delegates," Thamrin told AFP.

Thamrin said he believed it would take more than one round of talks to solve the dispute, which centers on Kuala Lumpur's granting of an oil concession in the contested area, but he was optimistic of the outcome of the negotiations.

Warships from both countries have come into close contact in the area east of Borneo several times since Feb. 16 when energy giant Shell was given a concession by Malaysia's state oil company Petronas.

Jakarta says the blocks awarded by Petronas are outside Kuala Lumpur's sovereignty.

After initial tension, Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to hold peaceful dialogue to end the dispute. (*)