The government today accepted Pope Benedict XVI's apology for remarks linking Islam with violence after initially describing the pontiff's expression of regret as inadequate.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the same time urged the Pope to avoid making hurtful remarks against Muslims, the official Bernama news agency reported.

"I think we can accept it and we hope there are no more statements that can anger the Muslims," Abdullah was quoted as saying to a group of Malaysian journalists in New York during a visit to the United Nations.

On Monday, Malaysia's foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar was reported as saying the Pope's apology was inadequate and that the country will continue to insist on a full apology.

Sincere apology

The reversal in Malaysia's stance came about after Abdullah met with US President George W Bush at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Abdullah, who is also chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), said he discussed the pope's controversial comments during the 50-minute meeting with Bush.

Earlier, the White House said Bush told Abdullah that the pontiff's apology on Sunday was "sincere". Benedict had said he was "deeply sorry" for the reaction to his remarks.

In a speech last week while visiting his old university, the Pope made a reference to Islam and jihad (holy war), which caused a wave of anger and protest in the Muslim world.

The pope quoted an obscure medieval text that criticised some teachings of the Prophet Mohammed as "evil and inhuman," which was seen by Muslims as implicitly linking Islam to violence.