04 September 2007

His Excellency Mr. Efthimios Mitropoulos,
Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Brigadier General (NS) Choi Shing Kwok,
Head of Delegation of the Republic of Singapore

Mr. Eddy Pratomo,
Head of Delegation of the Republic of Indonesia

Excellencies, Distinguished Heads of delegations, moderators and delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate the Secretary General of IMO and the Government of the Republic of Singapore for hosting this very important meeting on the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. I would also like to express my appreciation to the Government of Singapore for the hospitality it has accorded to me and my delegation.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

When Malaysia first participated in the negotiation on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (or UNCLOS), one of our primary concerns was how the Straits of Malacca (or the Straits) will be treated in the Convention. It was well known that while Malaysia recognized that the Straits is used for international shipping we were not prepared to accept that the Strait of Malacca is "an international Strait". History has now shown that compromised provisions were eventually agreed and codified in UNCLOS, and in particular article 43 under the unique regime of "Straits used for international navigation".

In that light the last 3 years, beginning with the Jakarta Meeting in 2005, the Kuala Lumpur Meeting in 2006 and this year's Singapore Meeting, with the cooperation of the International Maritime Organization (or IMO) the littoral States have demonstrated that we are prepared to apply the agreement achieved in UNCLOS to establish cooperation in the Straits. We are of course grateful that other States and stakeholders, especially users of the Straits have equally demonstrated their willingness to do likewise.

It is against this spirit of cooperation that we believe article 43 of UNCLOS can be made to work. And I am confident that it can be achieved. Malaysia for one is prepared to explore this avenue.

I must congratulate the Secretary General of IMO, Mr. Mitropolous and all his staff for their diligence and patience and a lot of hard work into making these series of meetings a success. The meetings have shown to be useful avenues for the littoral States to meet as well as gather feedback from user States, shipping industry and other stakeholders in the maintenance of safety of navigation and environmental protection of the Straits.

The Jakarta Meeting in 2005 agreed, among others, for the littoral States to establish a mechanism to meet with users to discuss on issues relating to the safety, security and environmental protection of the Straits as well as to facilitate co-operation in keeping the Straits safe and open to navigation, including exploring the possible options for burden sharing.

At the Kuala Lumpur Meeting in 2006 the littoral States proposed to establish the Cooperative Mechanism to forge cooperation and burden sharing on a voluntary basis between the littoral States and users, to enhance safety of navigation and environmental protection in the Straits. I am pleased to say, the Cooperative Mechanism received broad support from user States and other stakeholders. Here at this Singapore Meeting, we will be focussed on promoting the Cooperative Mechanism where the fundamental details will be elaborated further. It is my hope and Malaysia's hope that the Cooperative Mechanism will be endorsed so we can chart the way forward for all of us to cooperate to keep the Straits safe and open to navigation.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

Malaysia believes the Cooperative Mechanism provides an excellent opportunity to develop, on a voluntary basis, cooperation and burden sharing in the Straits. While it may not yet be a perfect mechanism, we believe it provides a perfect opportunity to put into action article 43 mooted some 25 years ago.

While we move forward with great expectation, let me take this opportunity to reflect and express Malaysia's appreciation to all those who have provided their cooperation and contributions towards maintaining the Straits all these years. We are also grateful to those States that have sponsored and contributed to some of the 6 projects proposed by the littoral States at the Kuala Lumpur Meeting. I hope such cooperation will continue to be forthcoming in the future, under the Cooperative Mechanism.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

Malaysia is fully aware of its responsibilities as a littoral State to maintain safety, security and environmental protection in the Straits. It is for this reason that we have spent substantial amounts of money and will continue to do so to ensure the Straits is safe and secure for ships to navigate.

We realise however, the management of the Straits is a continuous challenge. We have seen this challenge evolving with the world's changing economic, social and political pattern. I would like to reassure you that Malaysia is prepared to respond to this challenge. Apart from our safety and environmental protection initiatives we have also taken steps to put into place security initiatives in line with the IMO ISPS Code, in particular to ensure our waters and ports are safe for ships to trade. In addition, Malaysia continues to conduct security surveillance in our waters including in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore to enhance the security of ships.

Malaysia will continue to be pro-active in enhancing safety, security and environmental protection in the Straits. We will be happy to continue to receive feedback from user States and other stakeholders to ensure that the Straits remain safe and open to navigation as they have always been for centuries.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

Lastly, I would like to once again thank my colleagues from Singapore and Indonesia for their tireless effort, close cooperation and strong support, the IMO for its invaluable advice and contributions and to all those who have made these series of meetings possible.

I would also like to congratulate the organizing committee for their hard work and dedication in ensuring the success of this Singapore Meeting, and to the delegates, especially those who have come from afar, I thank you for your continued believe and support and I shall look forward to a very fruitful discussion.

Thank you.