evidence: Late last week, Malaysian and Indonesian sources reported that the two countries would appoint special envoys to begin holding "exploratory" negotiations over still-outstanding territorial disputes. The decision to appoint the special envoys came at the conclusion of a meeting between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Putrajaya, Malaysia last week during a three-day bilateral summit. Although the appointment of special envoys sends a positive signal about the intents of the two governments to address the dispute, there was little public discussion of how the leaders plan on arriving at any agreement. Indonesia and Malaysia maintain competing claims over the Ambalat sea block and their maritime border in the Celebes sea off the eastern coast of Borneo. "We agreed to appoint special envoys, so issues on maritime borders can be settled as they have remained unresolved for too long," Widodo told reporters after the conclusion of his meeting with Najib. The mutual agreement on a special envoy mechanism suggests optimism in both countries that the dispute can be resolved via bilateral means. In the past, Indonesia and Malaysia have resorted to international arbitration to help adjudicate territorial disputes. For example, in 2002, the International Court of Justice ruled in favor of Malaysia in a territorial dispute concerning the islands of Sipadan and Ligitan. Those two islands are also in the Celebes Sea. The ICJ justified that ruling based on "effective" ownership and administration of the islands by the United Kingdom, Malaysia’s former colonizer. In the absence of a stronger Indonesian claim, Malaysia came out on top.