Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has apologised for the haze that has blanketed Singapore and Malaysia.
He said Indonesia was fully responsible for overcoming the problem caused by spot forest fires.
But his apology was undermined by the reported comments of Indonesia’s energy and mineral resources minister Jero Wacik, a former tourism minister, who accused Singapore and Malaysia of trying to discredit Indonesia over the haze issue.
"Let me remind our friends from Malaysia, Singapore, don’t just, because of the haze, tell stories to the world," said Wacik.
"It’s called sharing, you go through good times together, don’t make noise to the world when things go bad. It’s just like husband and wife, don’t take your quarrels outside," he added.
Minister for people’s welfare Agung Laksono last week said Indonesia did not need help to contain the forest fires, adding that Singapore was "acting like a child" over the haze.
Malaysia, where haze levels have reached crisis levels, wants a meeting of regional ministers brought forward to discuss the emergency.
Malaysia’s health minister S. Subramaniam said Malaysia was expected to convey a strong message to its Indonesian counterpart to find permanent solutions to the end the annual “man-made” haze problem.
“The health risks for Malaysians are very high,” he told reporters on Monday. “We (Malaysians) should not be subjected to it every year."
While the haze has moderated in Singapore this week, environmental agencies expect it to return to dangerous levels within days.
