KL to host regional antiterror center soon

KL to host regional antiterror center soon

Associated Press, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia plans to set up a regional anti-terrorism center, based on a U.S. proposal, by next year, the national news agency Bernama reported on Sunday.

U.S. President George W. Bush brought up the plan at a meeting with Southeast Asian leaders during this weekend's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Mexico, said Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The center would run training programs to help Southeast Asian countries combat terrorism, Abdullah said, adding that other leaders in the region did not oppose the plan, Bernama reported.

On Saturday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the details of the center had not been finalized, but Malaysia hoped to set it up next year, Bernama reported.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell suggested setting up the center when he visited Malaysia in July.

It would be run like an institute, with Malaysian and U.S. officials organizing workshops and seminars to help the region implement anti-terrorism measures, Malaysian news media reported after Powell's visit.

Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country, has been at the forefront of fighting terrorism in Southeast Asia. Since August 2001, Malaysian authorities have arrested more than 60 suspected militants, including dozens of alleged members of Jamaah Islamiyah, an Islamic militant group officials say is tied to al- Qaeda and has cells in several Southeast Asian countries.

The group is suspected of involvement in the Oct. 12 bombings in Bali. It is also accused of plotting attacks on U.S. embassies and other pro-Western targets in the region.