Estrada, Habibie lack experience: Malaysian minister

Estrada, Habibie lack experience: Malaysian minister

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Statements in support of sacked
Malaysian finance minister Anwar Ibrahim by the Philippine and
Indonesian presidents showed their "shallow" experience, a
Malaysian government minister said on Monday.

The national Bernama news agency quoted Primary Industries
Minister Lim Keng Yaik as saying the comments by Philippine
President Joseph Estrada and Indonesia's President B.J. Habibie
were used by them to divert attention from their own domestic
problems.

Separately, opposition parties called for the release of 133
people arrested after anti-government demonstrations in front of
the king's palace on Saturday.

Lim said Estrada and Habibie are "new kids on the block" and
thus lacked experience in commenting about the affairs of another
country.

"How can a president or a head of state make statements on
other countries in their capacity, or at their whims as what they
say will be regarded as the official stand?" Lim told reporters
after a political function.

"They seemed to be using Anwar's issue to hide the problems
faced by their countries," he said.

Lim said Malaysia viewed seriously the statements by the two
presidents on Anwar, which clearly interfered in Malaysia's
internal matters.

Estrada and Habibie had made personal statements in support of
Anwar and have not yet confirmed that they would attend next
month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Kuala
Lumpur.

However, Indonesian presidential spokeswoman Dewi Fortuna
Anwar said on Saturday that Habibie had decided to attend the
summit meeting because he was encouraged by the authorities'
better treatment of Anwar.

Estrada had said he and Habibie planned to write a letter to
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad urging that Anwar be placed under
house arrest.

Anwar is in detention while awaiting trial on five charges of
sodomy and five of corruption, all of which he denies. He was
released from detention last week under the draconian Internal
Security Act and is now in a prison cell.

In another development, Malaysia has abruptly scrapped
scheduled defense talks with the Philippines amid a diplomatic
row over the arrest of Anwar, Philippine defense officials said
on Monday.

Malaysia gave no reasons for cancellation but Defense
Secretary Orlando Mercado told reporters in Manila on Monday it
might have been prompted by "strained relations" between the two
countries after President Joseph Estrada recently expressed
support for Anwar.

Estrada had also urged Malaysia to respect Anwar's human
rights. Anwar, a former deputy prime minister and finance
minister, was arrested last month and is being detained in
Malaysia on charges of sodomy and corruption. Anwar denies the
charges.

The defense talks were scheduled for Oct. 28-30 in the
Philippines. A Philippine Defense Department statement said on
Monday Malaysia gave no reason for pulling out of the meeting.

Mercado earlier told reporters on Monday that Malaysia had
asked for postponement of a quarterly meeting with the
Philippines on joint patrol of waters between the two countries.

Mercado's office later clarified his remarks, saying what was
canceled on Malaysia's initiative were committee talks involving
defense cooperation.

"Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado has been informed that
Malaysia has decided to cancel the Third Philippines-Malaysia
Combined Committee meeting," the defense department said.

The bilateral committee meets regularly to discuss defense
cooperation, such as military procurement, defense technology and
holding of joint military exercises, officials said.

Despite signs of strained relations between Manila and Kuala
Lumpur, Philippine presidential spokesman Jerry Barican dispelled
speculation that the row over Anwar might force Estrada to
boycott the APEC forum.