EDITORIAL - Peaceful settlement

This is the way to settle overlapping maritime claims: not by building oil rigs in disputed waters or setting up garrisons on endangered coral reefs, but through peaceful negotiations between friends.

Yesterday the Philippines and Indonesia concluded two decades of negotiations, formally delineating territory in waters where the two countries’ 200-mile exclusive economic zones or EEZs overlap. There are several such overlapping areas – clearly shown on any internationally recognized map – in this region and other parts of the world.

In such common EEZs as defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the best approach for claimant countries is cooperation – on everything from fighting piracy and other crimes, protecting the environment, and extracting natural resources in a sustainable way.

Indonesia is one of the world’s largest countries in terms of land area, but it does not throw its weight around in its neighborhood and arbitrarily lay claim to territory. Despite its size, Indonesia does not stomp around like a Tyrannosaurus rex, trampling everything that dares to stand in its path.

As pointed out by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was in Manila for a two-day state visit and the World Economic Forum on East Asia, the “equitable delimitation” of maritime boundaries would bring “great benefit” to both his country and the Philippines.

The overlapping EEZs cover the Mindanao Sea, Celebes Sea and Philippine Sea. Apart from improving cooperation in fighting transnational crime, the new agreement is expected to boost tourism between the two countries.

Cooperation between the two neighbors will also benefit the entire region. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have prospered in an environment that has been peaceful and stable for more than three decades. The agreement between the Philippines and Indonesia can only enhance that friendly environment, and can serve as a model for settling similar disputes.