SINGAPORE (AFP) - Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew will travel to Malaysia today for a four-day visit aimed at resolving outstanding bilateral issues between the nations, the government said.

Lee would meet Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and deputy premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during the trip, from September 2 to 5, it said in a statement.

He would be accompanied by his wife and a delegation including Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng and Education Minister Teo Chee Hean, it said.

Lee and Mahathir "would continue discussions on the package of outstanding issues between the two countries," the statement said.

"SM's (senior minister) trip is part of the ongoing bilateral exchanges to deepen and extend personal linkages between the leaders of Singapore and Malaysia."

Abdullah visited the city-state in February.

Ties strained

Ties between the neighbours have been strained by issues around the supply of water to Singapore, the use of Malaysian airspace by Singaporean aircraft and the withdrawal of pensions by Malaysian workers in Singapore.

The location of Malaysia's custom, immigration and quarantine facility in the city-state has also been a contentious issue.

Lee and his Malaysian hosts were likely to discuss a proposed underground railway to link the Malaysian state of Johor to a railway station in Singapore, officials said.

They were also likely to raise Malaysia's proposal to build a bridge between Johor Baru, which is popular with Singaporean tourists.

Relations between Malaysia and its tiny but prosperous neighbour have often been prickly since Singapore was ejected from the federation of Malaysia in 1965, two years after it was founded.