INDONESIA and Malaysia are scheduled to begin border negotiations next month in an effort to resolve decades-old disputes that could include areas believed to be rich in crude oil.

The decision follows a meeting between their foreign ministers here on Monday.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said the ministers, who met on the sidelines of the Asean Foreign Ministers Retreat, agreed on “intensifying negotiations on land and maritime borders”. Talks to begin in the second week of next month will set out a road map for settling overlapping claims.

…Singapore’s representative at the task force is former Asean secretary-general Ong Keng Yong.