Malaysia, as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), has urged its six non-permanent members in the UN Security Council to vote against a war o­n Iraq, foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar said today.

"We have written to all of them. I hope they will vote o­n the basis of what has been decided during the NAM Summit," he told reporters.

"We hope they will vote in our (NAM) favour for the sake of global peace and security."

The six NAM members are Syria, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea, Pakistan and Angola.

The council is expected to vote Wednesday o­n a resolution proposed by the United States, Britain and Spain, that would set the stage for a military strike o­n Iraq by declaring it in non-compliance with UN disarmament demands.

The 116-nation body had said in a statement at the end of a summit here o­n Feb 25 that NAM rejected any war against Iraq not sanctioned by the United Nations.

Destabilising factor

It said war o­n Iraq "will be a destabilising factor for the whole region, and that it would have far-reaching political, economic and humanitarian consequences for all countries of the world."

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, as NAM chairman wrote the letter, including to all the other nine council members last week, the foreign minister said.

Syed Hamid said he hoped the six NAM countries would not be pressured to vote in favour of war.

"I think they understand their responsibility. I hope they will vote in accordance to their conscience and for humanity. That is to say no to war," he added.

Syed Hamid said Malaysia supports a multilateral solution to the Iraq crisis and wanted UN weapons inspectors to be given more time to search for banned biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in Iraq. - AFP