Jan. 22, 1964 - Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to a cease-fire in their undeclared border war and to new three-power talks with the Philippines soon to seek a solution of the Malaysian crisis. The agreement was announced in Jakarta today by U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and Indonesian President Sukarno (right) at the end of their second round of talks on the bitter dispute over the new British-sponsored Federation of Malaysia. The three-power meeting will bring together the foreign ministers of the three chief nations in the dispute, but Mr. Kennedy said he hoped it would lead to a new summit conference of Sukarno, Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, and Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal. Mr. Kennedy takes off later today for London via Bangkok.
The agreement to stop the guerrilla war along the Borneo border between Indonesia and Malaysia and return to the conference table marked a victory for the 38-year-old Attorney General’s mission to the Far East. Indonesian Foreign Minister Subandrio told newsmen the cease-fire along the jungle border of Borneo could probably be implemented within a week. He implied that Indonesian regular army troops would prevent so-called “freedom fighters” from crossing into Malaysia during the cease-fire, on which no time limit was given.
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