Southeast Asian foreign ministers will hold their retreat in Sabah this month, focusing o­n the looming war in Iraq, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said today.

The three-day informal meeting, starting March 18 at a luxurious beach and golf resort northeast of Sabah's capital Kota Kinabalu, would examine the possible consequences of a US-led attack o­n Iraq o­n the region, he said.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) ministers would also discuss other global and regional issues, Syed Hamid was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

"All the 10 Asean foreign ministers have confirmed their attendance for the meeting," he added.

Asean groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Top security group

The retreat would be followed by a two-day meeting of senior officials from the Asean Regional Forum (ARF), Asia's top security group, o­n countering terrorism and transnational crimes, officials said.

The ARF meeting is likely to seek ways to enhance security cooperation after the emergence of a heightened threat of terrorism in Southeast Asia following October's deadly bombings o­n Indonesia's resort island of Bali, they said.

ARF includes the 10 Asean states, along with Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, South Korea, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Russia and the United States. - AFP