Malaysian and Singaporean foreign ministers Monday began talks aimed at ironing out disputes which have long soured relations between the neighbouring countries.

Singapore's S Jayakumar said achieving a mutually satisfactory agreement on a package of issues, including the price Singapore pays for Malaysian water, would not be easy.

A recent exchange of letters between Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew had, however, "established the basic framework for current negotiations", he said.

"In this meeting we should all try to understand the others' position and address the issues from a long term perspective to produce a win-win formula.

"We must conduct the discussions on the basis that nothing is settled until everything is settled," Jayakumar said.

Apart from water, issues on the agenda include a proposed bridge linking the countries, the use of Malaysian airspace by Singaporean aircraft and the location of Malaysia's customs, immigration and quarantine facilities in Singapore.

"The primary task before us is to resolve the package of issues," said Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar. "This is not an exercise in one-upmanship."

Strained ties

Jayakumar arrived Sunday with a 13-member delegation of ministry officials, while Syed Hamid heads a team of 11 officials in the talks which are due to end tomorrow.

Some of the problems have strained relations since Singapore was kicked out of the Malaysian Federation in 1965, while new issues affecting ties include Malaysia's intention to replace the tiny island-state as the regional business hub in Southeast Asia. — AFP