JAKARTA - Indonesia and Malaysia said today that they remained hopeful of winning their case in the International Court of Justice over the ownership of two islands.

"If I'm asked about the outcome of this case, I would say it's 50:50," Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda told reporters.

"Am I pessimistic? No. But this assumption is a conservative and not a pessimistic one."

The court will release its decision next Tuesday over the competing claims to Sipadan and Ligitan off Borneo.

Ligitan and Sipadan, off the coast of Sabah and Indonesia's East Kalimantan province, have been a minor irritant in relations since 1969 when both laid claim to the islands.