KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 —Senior Malaysian and Singaporean officials met here for two days, beginning Tuesday, to discuss further Points of Agreement (PoA) on Malayan Railway Lands in the republic.

In a joint statement by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and his counterpart, George Yeo, issued by Wisma Putra today, the ministers said the meeting was the first, following the agreement reached between leaders of the two countries last May.

During the Leaders’ Retreat in Singapore on May 24, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong agreed to undertake steps to move forward, issues from the PoA on railway lands.

The Malaysian delegation was led by Foreign Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa while Singapore was led by its Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Peter Ho.

Following the meeting, two sub-committees, namely Sub Committee on the Relocation of KTMB Train Station and the Sub-Committee on the Establishment of M-S Pte Ltd were set up.

Both sides had reiterated their commitment to fully implement the agreement reached in the Joint Statement on May 24, namely relocation of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad’s train station from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTCP), co-located CIQ in the WTCP and the establishment of the M-S Pte Ltd.

The statement said that both sides were pleased with the progress made by the Joint Implementation Team and agreed that the next meeting would be held in late August in Singapore.

The two sides also discussed the implementation of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Judgement on Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks and South Ledge.

This was the fourth meeting involving the joint technical committee where they reiterated their commitment to honour and abide by the ICJ’s judgement and fully implement its decision.

The joint committee reviewed the work of the Sub-Committee on Joint Survey Works and the Sub-Committee on Maritime and Airspace Management and Fisheries.

It also commended the Sub-Committee on Joint Survey Work for completing the drafting of memorandum of understanding on the Joint Hydrographic Survey in and around Pedra Branca and Middle Rocks, which will now have to go through the internal approval processes in both countries.

In May, 2008, the ICJ at The Hague awarded sovereignty of Pedra Branca island to Singapore, while the sovereignty of Middle Rocks and South Ledge was awarded to Malaysia. — Bernama