JAKARTA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia will begin a new round of maritime borders talks with Vietnam and Palau this year, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said here Tuesday.

    "Periodic maritime borders talks with countries bordering Indonesia are still going on," he was quoted by the national Antara news agency as saying.

    "From the territorial standpoint, clear land and maritime borders are a crucial element to keep the Unitary Republic of Indonesia intact," he said.

    He said Indonesia was also in the process of negotiating its borders with East Timor, which seceded from Jakarta in October 1999 as a consequence of the victory of the pro-independence camp in the UN-organized plebiscite in August 1999.

    The negotiations with East Timor had been 97 percent completed, he said.