BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - The United States and Malaysia are planning to open a joint anti-terrorism training center to instruct Southeast Asian security services on how to combat extremist violence, a senior State Department official said Tuesday.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar discussed the creation of the center, which would be based in Malaysia, during talks on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, the official said.

The facility would be loosely based on an existing US-run anti-crime and narcotics training center in the Thai capital of Bangkok, the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Hamid also confirmed the idea had been discussed.

"They (US) asked about the possibility of working closer to make Malaysia a regional centre for activities to counter terrorism," he told Malaysia's official Bernama news agency.

He added that the proposed centre would be jointly manned by Malaysian and US officials.

"To have some institute-like (body) which becomes a place for discussion and deliberation," said Hamid who held a news conference Tuesday with Powell who was then on the second leg of a six-nation tour of Southeast Asia aimed at bolstering support for the US-led war on terrorism.

"Now we are looking forward to specific areas of working together," the minister added.

Anti-terror pact

Powell, who then traveled on to Singapore and Brunei to attend the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF), made no mention of the proposed training center.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has won praise from the US for his cooperation in the war on terrorism, and the two countries signed an anti-terror pact during a visit by Mahathir to the White House in May.

Malaysia is a member of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) which is also expected to also sign an anti-terror pact with the US at a meeting in Brunei this week. AFP