Singapore is keen to resolve a host of outstanding bilateral issues with neighbour Malaysia so that the two countries can work together on issues affecting the region, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said in remarks published today.

"I don't like it," Goh said of the recent verbal spat between the two nations.

"I hope we can move to the stage of proper negotiation and, together, consolidate Asean," the 60-year-old premier said in a meeting with the editors of 11 major Asian newspapers who held a meeting here earlier this week.

His remarks were quoted in the Straits Times newspaper.

The two neighbours, the strongest economies within the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), should be working more closely on the challenges facing the bloc, Goh said.

Since the 1997-98 regional crisis, Asean has struggled to regain its former economic lustre as foreign investors turned towards the rise of the Chinese economy.

Matters clearing

Apart from Malaysia and Singapore, the other eight Asean members are Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Goh said he was confident that long-term relations with Malaysia would not be affected by the recent exchange of verbal spats between the two nations.

"Between neighbours, you must always expect good times and bad times. Just like the economic cycle, our relationship goes through cycles," Goh said.

"Things are clearing up, but that doesn't mean the problems are not there."

Goh said Singapore had listed down some dates for a meeting with Malaysia and the island was now awaiting a reply from Kuala Lumpur.

The meeting, if it is held, will discuss outstanding issues such as the price Singapore will pay in exchange for water from Malaysia.

Constructive approach

Speaking in parliament Friday, Foreign Minister S Jayakumar said the city-state was committed towards finding solutions to the list of thorny bilateral issues that would be beneficial to the two neighbours.

"While I cannot predict the outcome of the negotiations, let me state that Singapore will continue to take a constructive approach with the aim of finding a 'win-win' solution to these bilateral issues," Jayakumar said.

"Singapore is committed to forging a long-term relationship with Malaysia based on mutual respect and sovereign equality to realise the full potential in our bilateral relationship," he said.

The next meeting, once a date has been agreed, will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Jayakumar said, adding that he is awaiting a reply from his counterpart, Syed Hamid Albar, to respond to the list of dates proposed by Singapore.

Ties between the neighbours have been erratic since Singapore was ejected from the Malaysian federation to become an independent state in 1965.

Issues that have strained ties include a land reclamation project by Singapore near their maritime border, a proposed bridge linking the countries and the use of Malaysian airspace by Singaporean aircraft.