KL minister blames U.S. embassy for spat

KL minister blames U.S. embassy for spat

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): A Malaysian minister yesterday blamed
the United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur for misinformation
which had strained relations between the two countries, the
national Bernama news agency said.

"The U.S. embassy here is not giving the right information.
They are sending the wrong message," Primary Industries Minister
Lim Keng Yaik was quoted as telling reporters after a public
function.

He accused the embassy of informing a U.S. delegation which is
expected to arrive in Malaysia this week to probe a gas deal that
it was "not safe (for the delegation) to come to Malaysia."

Lim did not say where he received the information from.
Officials at the U.S. embassy were not immediately available for
comment.

Relations between the U.S. and Malaysia hit a rough patch
following a U.S. probe into a gas deal in Iran involving
Malaysia's national oil firm Petronas.

Washington says the deal violates a U.S. law that can impose
sanctions on companies doing business with Iran and is sending a
team to Malaysia to discuss the matter.

The Malaysian government says the U.S. law interferes with
Petronas's overseas business dealings.

A separate issue involving a draft resolution by a group of
U.S. Congressmen who asked Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to
apologize or quit for alleged remarks about Jews, also angered
Malaysians.

The Malaysian cabinet on Wednesday said the call for Mahathir
to resign "exceeded the norms of diplomatic engagement and
transgress what we would call polite dissent".

The Kuala Lumpur embassy on Thursday issued a security alert
after receiving two telephone calls threatening harm to Americans
working in Malaysia.

Lim, also the president of Parti Gerakan, a component party of
the ruling National Front party headed by Mahathir, accused the
embassy for being "alarmists".

"They (the embassy) pour oil when they see a little smoke, not
even fire," he was quoted by Bernama as saying.

"They are the ones who tell the Americans "don't come or you
are liable to be shot". Do you think it is right? Are they not
alarmists?," he said.

Separately, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul
Hamid Othman said yesterday he had no information on a group
which was said to have issued the death threat, Bernama said.

Abdul Hamid said he had read about the Malaysian Moslem
Martyrs' Movement in news reports but had no details of the
group.

Diplomatic sources in Kuala Lumpur told Reuters on Friday that
the previously-unheard of movement had claimed responsibility for
the threat to kill four Americans in Malaysia. About 6,100
Americans work in Malaysia.