Talks to Start on Broadening, and Paying for, Search for Missing Malaysia Flight 370: By Paige Kutschall

"KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Tuesday said nations involved in the hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 would begin discussing how to broaden the search—and how to pay for it. "Malaysia will discuss with our international counterparts, including Australia, how the new search operation, as announced by [Australian] Prime Minister [Tony] Abbott on Monday, will proceed," he said. Mr. Hishammuddin also said that Kok Soo Chon, a former chief of Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation, would lead the international team investigating the plane's March 8 disappearance as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. No physical trace of the aircraft has been found. The search effort, now more than 50 days old, shifted abruptly on Monday when Mr. Abbott announced that the search area in the Indian Ocean would be vastly expanded and that the operation would begin relying on private contractors. The next phase of the operation is likely to cost more than $57 million, Mr. Abbott said.

Some countries have begun pulling out their military assets. Japan's Defense Ministry, for example, said on Monday that it was withdrawing its team, including P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and C-130H transport aircraft. Japan had been involved in the search since March 11. Cmdr. William Marks, spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, which also has been involved in the operation, said using commercial operators raises new questions, including how quickly they can get to the search area, how long they will be expected to operate, and how they would be paid.

Mr. Hishammuddin expressed his gratitude to Australian officials for leading the hunt in the Indian Ocean. "The fact that MH370 has still not been found underscores the complexity and difficulty of this search operation," he said. Mr. Hishammuddin, who is also Malaysia's acting transport minister, didn't set a timetable for discussing the next phase with representatives of the 26 nations that have aided in the effort. "This discussion will include issues such as the deployment of assets with deep-sea search capabilities, the cost of the operation and how best authorities can ensure the next of kin of those onboard MH370 are properly informed of the latest developments," he said. Mr. Hishammuddin said Malaysia was looking into a report by an Australian exploration company that it may have spotted the wreckage in the Bay of Bengal, about 3,000 miles from the search site. The Wall Street Journal was unable to reach representatives of the company.

Australia Government

Australia's 7News reported that the Adelaide-based company, GeoResonance, said it had identified metals on the ocean floor, such as aluminum, titanium and copper, consistent with material from a plane. The company told 7News that it had searched for the Boeing 777 using satellite and aircraft images. "Malaysia is working with its international partners to assess the credibility of this information," Mr. Hishammuddin said, noting that Australia and China also were aware of the report. Serving with Mr. Kok on the investigative team will be representatives of accident investigation agencies from at least five countries—the U.S., Australia, the U.K., China and France—as well as Boeing, Rolls-Royce and Inmarsat."

Source: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304163604579531444178331328?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304163604579531444178331328.html