Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that he does not fancy himself playing the role of a mediator in the Kashmir conflict "because Malaysia is a small country and we don't think we have that much influence to change the minds of people".

He said Malaysia would stick to its known stance that the issue be resolved through United Nations Security Council resolutions, he told a joint news conference with Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad last night.

The prime minister was responding to a suggestion from a Pakistani journalist that Malaysia, whom he called a "great" country, could be a mediator in the conflict.

However, Mahathir replied in the negative. According to the Bernama news agency, the premier said he was ruling out Malaysia playing a mediatory role to help resolve the protracted conflict over Kashmir between Pakistan and India.

"We don't have that much influence and we don't think we can change the minds of people," he said.

No third party involvement

"So we don't fancy mediating here. Besides, some countries believe that no third parties should be involved in this dispute...so we are not going to force ourselves on anyone," said Mahathir.

Asked about his recent remarks in Kuala Lumpur that Muslim countries could use their oil to effectively promote their own interests, the prime minister said he came out with such a view because many people were saying that the Muslim world was being oppressed and that Muslim nations were unable to do something about it themselves.

"I pointed out that they have in oil a weapon that can be very effective; if they combine with one another they will be able to control the supply of oil to the whole world."

He argued that in the days when the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) became more aggressive than it was now, it was able to raise the price of oil and was effective in shaping world opinion on certain issues.

"I'm not saying that we are trying to deprive the world of oil but we can be selective sometimes in the sale of oil of Muslim nations. The actual strategy can be worked out but the fact is that Muslim nations are producing most of the world's oil.

"If you are producing something so essential as oil we should be able to shape opinions in the world," Mahathir added.