KUALA LUMPUR Terrorism and a possible war in Iraq are expected to dominate the 11th Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), to open Monday in Kuala Lumpur.

The three-day meeting will be attended by some 150 delegates from 27 member nations including Australia, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

APPF chairman Michael Chen, the head of Malaysia's senate, said that at the meeting in Honolulu last January, delegates focused on the US-led campaign in Afghanistan.

"This time I think the situation is almost the same with the Americans preparing for war against Iraq. No doubt there will be a number of countries interested in presenting their views on the issue," he told the official Bernama news agency.

The meeting is a good forum for parliamentarians to urge the relevant countries to listen to reason and try to solve problems through diplomatic channels, Chen added.

Opening by PM

International terrorism was also likely to be a major concern.

"I think we need to find some consensus on combatting terrorism and to make whatever steps are taken more efficient," he said.

Piracy on the high seas and drug smuggling are also expected to be high on the agenda at the conference to be opened by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The APPF was formally established in Tokyo in January 1993 under the leadership of prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, with the aim of contributing to the region's peace, stability and prosperity by providing a forum for dialogue among parliamentarians.

Member countries are Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, China, Colombia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Phillipines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. AFP