ANY CONFLICT IN SOUTH CHINA SEA SHOULD BE ELIMINATED

KUANTAN (Malaysia), Nov 27 (Bernama) -- The South China Sea has always been a major security concern to Malaysia as it is vital to international shipping activities and the production of marine resources.

Thus, any conflict in this sea will disrupt many activities that are
crucial
to the economy and livelihood of those who are dependent on it, says east coast
state of Pahang Mentri Besar (Chief Minister) Adnan Yaakob.

He said efforts should therefore be made to ensure that any source of
potential conflict in the South China Sea was checked or eliminated.

"Efforts should be made to channel the potential energy and plans for
conflict to be turned into fruitful exchanges and cooperation that will bring
greater benefit to countries in the region," he told reporters after
opening the International Conference on "The South China Sea: Sustaining Ocean
Productivity, Maritime Communities and Climate", here, Wednesday.

Adnan said Malaysia was making every effort to avert any form of conflict
in
the South China Sea.

"In fact, we are taking steps towards the successful implementation of a
code of conduct in the South China Sea and to work with other nations for
possible joint explorations of the resource-rich sea," he said.

However, he added, an area of concern was piracy where recent events off
the
coast of Somalia showed how precarious the security of the sea lanes could be
when disrupted by a handful of well-equipped pirates.

"Our concern for the strategic importance of South China Sea and the issue
of piracy should be made a priority by academics working on issues in the region
so that potential threats could be identified, appreciated and dealt with
accordingly," he said.

The five-day conference has 200 participants, including scientists, policy
makers and marine enthusiasts from 13 countries.
-- BERNAMA