Malaysia, Indonesia agree to solve maritime disputes: Malaysian PM

Malaysia and Indonesia will appoint special envoys to solve disputes between the two countries over maritime borders, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said here Friday.

At a joint press briefing after the talks with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Najib said, "we are committed to establishing an additional mechanism to resolve the outstanding ( territorial) issues."

He said the effort was necessary because years of negotiations had seen "no significant advancement."

Malaysian official sources said the disputes largely centered on the potentially energy-rich seabeds in the Celebes Sea.

Najib said the special envoys would hold exploratory discussions to find ways that could be accepted by both governments. Endi