Shell exploration within its waters: Malaysia
AFP, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia on Monday rejected a protest from Indonesia for granting Shell an oil exploration concession in an area claimed by Jakarta, saying the bloc was within Malaysian territory. State oil company Petronas on February 16 granted Shell a concession in the Sulawesi Sea between the two countries. Indonesia says the area is part of its territorial waters and has sent a formal protest note to Malaysia. Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the concession was within his country's waters. "The people at Petronas know that the area is within our territory. If the area is somebody else's, why should Petronas go in there?" he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency. The foreign ministry would reply soon to Indonesia's protest, he added.
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