Water deal negotiations resume

SHAH ALAM: The stalled water restructuring deal between Selangor and Putrajaya is back on the negotiating table with senior Selangor and Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry officials meeting today.
Mentri Besar Mohd Azmin Ali said the meeting began on a positive note as the ministry expressed its willingness to return to the original terms of the agreement.
"The meeting is between high-level state and ministry officers.They informed me that the meeting had a good start," Azmin said after launching the state-level World Water Day Celebration 2015 here.
"I will follow up with the minister and hopefully we would be able to conclude all the CPs (condition precedent) under the master agreement as soon as possible."
The state is represented by State Secretary Datuk Mohammed Kushrin Munawi while the ministry was represented by its secretary-general Datuk Loo Took Gee.
Azmin said the government was willing to return to the discussion table after receiving a letter from the ministry.
"The federal ministry is willing to finalise the master agreement according to the original terms," he said.
"This was the dispute before because there were a few changes made (to the original agreement), thus Selangor declined the proposal as it does not follow the original agreement," Azmin said.
Azmin previously said the federal government had insisted that land be included with the upgraded water assets of the concession companies as settlement of the concession companies' RM7.65 billion borrowings.
However the inclusion of the land was not part of the terms of the master agreement.
Azmin said the issue of the federal government trying to obtain state land has been rectified as Putrajaya is willing to return to the terms and agreement.
"This issue is settled! They (ministry) said they want to look into the original terms and agreement, and if they really do, then this issue should not be brought up again," Azmin said.
Last Sept 12, Azmin's predecessor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim inked the controversial water agreement with Putrajaya but Azmin revoked it on March 9.
He said then that the federal government had failed to comply with conditions set by the state government.