Singapore a tough nut: Dr M 

Daily Express (Sabah) – 26/3/2006
Kuala Lumpur: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Saturday that being friendly towards neighbour Singapore had failed to build relations and resolve bilateral spats. 
The two countries have squabbled for years over a variety of issues, although some bilateral feuds have been settled amid a thawing in relations over the past year or so. 
Mahathir, who as Premier launched periodic broadsides at Singapore, said only time would tell if the more conciliatory approach taken by current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would yield results. 
"When I first became Prime Minister in 1981, I went to Singapore to promote good relations with its Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, but it was clearly evident they weren't sincere in wanting to be friendly to us," he said. 
Mahathir admitted that he had been unable to resolve a variety of disputes with Singapore during his 22-year tenure, but blamed the city state for making demands the Malaysia would not accede to. 
Current disputes between the neighbours include the price of water - which Malaysia supplies to resource-scarce Singapore; Singapore's military access to Malaysian airspace; the future of Malaysian-owned railway land inside Singapore and rival claims to a rocky islet. 
The two countries are also mired in negotiations over replacing an old causeway linking the nations with a new bridge, a spat dating back to Mahathir's administration. 
Mahathir said Singapore was asking for concessions for agreement to build a new bridge but offering nothing in return. 
"What do they give us in return? ... nothing ... zero," he said. 
Relations have periodically been rocked by disputes since Singapore was ejected from the Malaysian federation in August 1965, but Mahathir's retirement in October 2003 was seen as an opportunity to get rid of old animosities. - AFP 
Source: Daily Express (Sabah) | www.dailyexpress.com.my