Putrajaya

THE leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia on Friday pledged renewed efforts to resolve stubborn disputes over maritime borders that have long nagged at one of South-east Asia's most important bilateral relationships.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo told a joint press briefing on Friday morning they would set up a new mechanism for resolving territorial issues. Mr Najib said the effort was necessary because years of negotiations had seen "no significant advancement". Mr Joko added that maritime disputes had "lingered for too long".