Malaysia favours joint military exercises with the United States without having to establish a permanent base for the superpower in the country, a senior minister said.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told reporters late yesterday that Malaysia was determined to fight terrorism along with the US.

"I think it is good to hold joint training. We will cooperate with the US without having permanent bases anywhere in Malaysia," he said.

Malaysia is hosting the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises which began yesterday on the east coast of the central Pahang state.

About 1,400 United States Marines along with with Malaysian Rangers numbering 1,200 are involved in the two-week exercise.

Captain Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman, defence ministry public affairs officer told AFP today that some 400 troops from both countries were conducting jungle warfare exercise in the Pahang state forest.

"The US Marines are taking the opportunity to enhance their jungle fighting skills," he said.

Abdul Aziz said the aim of the exercise was to enhance regional cooperation and to allow soldiers to get familiar with each other's equipments.

On June 29 and 30, there would be an amphibious assault exercise off the coast of the southern Johor state, he said.

Forest survival skills

Abdul Aziz said the US has deployed the USS Anchorage, a landing ship for the exercise.

"The US navy gets a lot out of this exercise, it is invaluable," Hull-Ryde, a US official said recently, adding that specific knowledge in forest survival was much needed by the US Marines.

"In the wake of 911 (the Sept 11 terror attacks on the United States), our government decided we could not cancel this bilateral exercise as it was just too important to us."

Earlier this month, Malaysia sealed a RM3.5 billion deal to buy three French submarines to establish its first fleet of subs.

The establishment of Malaysia's first submarine fleet is part of an armed forces modernisation programme that has also seen the government order British and Russian missile systems worth Rm1.4 billion.

It has also announced plans to buy more than 60 tanks from Poland and is considering a deal to buy Russian Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jets.