COPENHAGEN - Death or injury to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat resulting from an Israeli siege could turn him into a martyr and spark "a great deal of anger" among the world's Muslims, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad warned today.

Mahathir said he had written to French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and US President George W Bush asking them to pressure Israel into lifting the encirclement of Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

"My worry is that if anything happens to Arafat, he would become a martyr. And if that happens, that is going to cause a great deal of anger within the Muslim community throughout the world, not just the Palestinians," Mahathir told reporters in Copenhagen where he attended an Asia-Europe summit.

"And there probably will be more recruits for terrorist activities. That is why it is important that there should be no accident which may cause injury or even death to President Arafat," he said.

No credible replacement

Malaysia believes that even if Arafat is removed, there was still no leader credible enough to replace him.

"If you replace him with someone who is compliant to the wishes of (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon, you'll be rejected. He (the replacement) might even be assassinated, so it is not going to do anybody any good trying to replace or to displace Arafat," he said.

"Obviously he is not able to completely control acts of terror by certain groups but neither will anybody else. And if you undermine his credibility then his effectiveness would also be undermined." — AFP