M'SIAN DEFENCE MINISTER VISIT WILL HELP EASE TENSION OVER AMBALAT

JAKARTA, June 30 (Bernama) - Malaysian Defence Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid
Hamidi said his meeting with Indonesian counterpart Juwono Sudarsono here
Tuesday will help ease tension over over Ambalat.

He said Malaysian and Indonesian navies agreed to coordinate sea patrols at
Ambalat, a sea block in the Sulawesi Sea which Malaysia calls Blok ND.

"This will help avoid physical contact by patrol boats as they will keep to
the border agreed thus preventing a territorial dispute," he told a press
conference here Tuesday leaving for Bandung.

Other than the Ambalat issue, the defence ministers also agreed to cooperate
in patrolling other disputed border areas like Sandakan in Sabah, Malaysia and
Tarakan in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

The Malaysia-Indonesia border joint-technical committee will meet next month
to study the agreement before coordinated patrolling could be implemented.

Zahid who was on a three-day official visit said the Malaysian Armed Forces
(ATM) and the Indonesian National Army (TNI) agreed to cooperate in the defence
industry and to complement each other's expertise and resources.

"Such cooperation will prevent Malaysia, Indonesia and other ASEAN countries
from becoming dumping grounds for weapons and defence equipment. We must have
smart partnership in marketing defence products."

Both countries also agreed to increase visits by leaders, army chiefs and
former senior army officers to improve understanding of defence bilateral
issues.
He said they also agreed to accommodate senior army officers of both
countries for post-graduate courses at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional
Malaysia
(National Defence University of Malaysia)and Lembaga Pertahanan Nasional
Indonesia (National Defence Institute, Indonesia).
--BERNAMA