Foreign minister insists diplomacy first in haze crisis, warns enforcement risks severing Indonesia ties

Malaysia will employ diplomatic channels and ASEAN mechanisms to address the transboundary haze issue with Indonesia, prioritizing public health and bilateral relations, according to Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

The government seeks a comprehensive regional solution and is ready to assist Indonesia in tackling the fires causing the haze.

Malaysia plans to propose discussions on strengthening regional responses to the haze at upcoming ASEAN meetings, without resorting to legal or diplomatic enforcement measures.

SEREMBAN, Oct 16 — Malaysia will continue to use diplomatic channels and Asean mechanisms to address the transboundary haze issue with Indonesia through a phased approach that prioritises its people’s interests and health, without jeopardising bilateral relations, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He said discussions between leaders and regional channels are the preferred approaches to addressing sensitive issues involving neighbouring countries, rather than legal enforcement measures or the issuance of diplomatic notes.

“We have not reached that stage yet. It is easy to talk about taking legal enforcement action, but doing so would mean we were prepared to sever relations.

“We have not reached that point, so there is no need to issue a diplomatic note. Such a note is a last resort,” he told reporters after presenting contributions to senior citizens and assistance for further studies in the Rembau parliamentary constituency here yesterday.

He said Malaysia’s position does not mean the government is doing nothing about the persistent haze, but that it is pursuing a more comprehensive approach to finding a joint regional solution while remaining ready to help Indonesia tackle the fires responsible for the haze.

“I have instructed the Foreign Ministry’s secretary-general to take this up, and was informed yesterday that a coordination meeting will be held to discuss how Malaysia can help Indonesia tackle the fires. The Indonesian government is making concerted efforts to put them out, but the task is not easy,” he said.

Mohamad said the Japanese assistance team had also been forced to pull out because of difficulties accessing the fire sites.

“Our helicopters cannot operate either, as the haze is so thick that flying would be dangerous,” he said, adding that visibility is less than 50 metres, making flying extremely dangerous.

In a related development, Mohamad said Malaysia will submit a non-paper at the upcoming Asean Senior Officials’ Meeting and Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting as part of efforts to strengthen regional mechanisms to address transboundary haze.

The move also aims to enable the haze issue to be discussed within the natural disasters framework, he said, paving the way for Asean to strengthen its regional response and cooperation.

The media had previously reported that Malaysia would raise the issue of transboundary haze at the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting ahead of the 49th Asean Summit in Manila, the Philippines, next month, to discuss more effective regional mechanisms to address the problem. — Bernama

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马来西亚外交部长拿督斯里莫哈末哈山表示，马来西亚将利用外交渠道和东盟机制与印度尼西亚解决跨境雾霾问题，优先考虑公共卫生和双边关系。

政府寻求全面的区域解决方案，并准备协助印尼应对造成雾霾的火灾。

马来西亚计划在即将召开的东盟会议上提议讨论加强区域应对雾霾的措施，而不诉诸法律或外交强制措施。

芙蓉，10月16日——马来西亚外交部长拿督斯里莫哈末哈山表示，马来西亚将继续利用外交渠道和东盟机制，通过分阶段的方式解决与印度尼西亚的跨境雾霾问题，优先考虑马来西亚人民的利益和健康，同时不损害双边关系。

他表示，领导人之间的对话和区域渠道是解决涉及邻国的敏感问题的首选方法，而不是采取法律强制措施或发表外交照会。

“我们还没有到那一步。谈论采取法律强制措施很容易，但这样做就意味着我们准备断绝关系。”

“我们还没有到那种地步，所以没有必要发表外交照会。发表外交照会是最后的手段。”他昨天在林茂国会选区向老年人捐赠物资并资助他们继续深造后告诉记者。

他表示，马来西亚的立场并不意味着政府对持续的烟霾问题无所作为，而是意味着马来西亚正在寻求更全面的方法，以找到区域联合解决方案，同时随时准备帮助印度尼西亚应对造成烟霾的火灾。

“我已经指示外交部秘书长处理此事，昨天获悉将召开协调会议，讨论马来西亚如何帮助印尼应对火灾。印尼政府正在全力扑灭火灾，但这并非易事，”他说。

穆罕默德表示，由于难以进入火灾现场，日本援助队也被迫撤离。

“我们的直升机也无法运行，因为雾霾太浓，飞行非常危险，”他说，并补充说能见度不足 50 米，使飞行极其危险。

穆罕默德表示，马来西亚将在即将举行的东盟高级官员会议和东盟外长会议上提交一份非正式文件，以加强区域机制，应对跨境雾霾问题。

他还表示，此举旨在使雾霾问题能够在自然灾害框架内进行讨论，从而为东盟加强区域应对与合作铺平道路。

此前媒体报道称，马来西亚将在下个月于菲律宾马尼拉举行的第49届东盟峰会前的东盟外长会议上提出跨境烟霾问题，以探讨更有效的区域机制来解决这一问题。——马新社

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