KL denies row is behind pull-out

KL denies row is behind pull-out

KUALA LUMPUR (DAP): Malaysia's decision to pull out from a
five-nation defense exercise for the rest of this year was due to
the current economic crisis, and not to recent tensions with
Singapore, a news report said yesterday.

Defense Minister Syed Hamid Albar denied that he had told a
Hong Kong-based regional magazine, the Far Eastern Economic
Review, that Malaysia was withdrawing from the war games because
of problems with Singapore.

"Because of the current economic condition, we have to give
priority to other things," he was quoted as saying in the Star
daily. "(It) has nothing to do with Singapore."

Syed Hamid was referring to the Five-Power Defense
Arrangement's air, sea and land exercises, which is held
regularly in either Malaysia or Singapore and is also joined by
Britain, New Zealand and Australia.