Two opposition leaders today urged foreign dignitaries attending the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Kuala Lumpur to call for a diplomatic solution to the Iraq crisis and also pleaded for international "understanding" for their campaign against the continued incarceration of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) president Dr Syed Husin Ali highlighted their concerns in a joint press statement after their attempts to meet with delegates during the five-day conference proved futile.

"We wish to state that we fully support NAM and the noble objectives and principles established by its founding fathers...Unfortunately, being opposition parties, we have been completely excluded from all events of the conference," they said.

On the impending war o­n Iraq , the two leaders called for the summit to endorse an initiative to resolve the crisis peacefully via the United Nations and to deplore "US belligerence against Iraq".

They stressed that NAM should "support an independent Iraq, free from foreign interference in any effort by its people to establish a sovereign, just and democratic government".

Addressing US concerns over the alleged link between the Iraqi government and al-Qaeda, Wan Azizah and Syed Husin said delegates should support the international campaign to combat global terrorism but do so without "allowing themselves to be used as pawns for external imperial forces".

"[States should] identify the existence and dangers of state terrorism, and stop the use of the terrorism bogey as a pretext to stifle dissent and oppress legitimate opposition," they said.

The two leaders also touched o­n the long-standing Middle East conflict, saying that the NAM summit should recognise the rights of the Palestinians and condemn the continuing Israeli aggression and occupation.

The 13th NAM summit from Feb 20 to 25 will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre.

Support for Anwar

In addition to several suggestions relating to international affairs, the opposition leaders also expressed hope that the foreign delegates would "support (the) campaign" for Anwar and several other reformasi activists to be released immediately from detention or have the latter's cases tried in an open court.

The former deputy premier was sacked from his position in 1998 and subsequently charged with sodomy and corruption. He is currently serving a 15-year jail term for the offences.

Anwar claims the charges were fabricated by the government but this has been denied.

NAM which has 114 members was established following the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference in Indonesia.

The movement aims to create an independent path in world politics and to resist influence by opposing world powers, led o­n o­ne side by the United States and the other by the former Soviet Union, during the Cold War period.

Malaysia has been strongly in favour of reviving the movement to represent the view of developing countries, in the face of dominance in world politics by several key nations.