US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the International Islamic University (IIU) in Kuala Lumpur as the Obama administration seeks to cultivate ties with Muslim-majority Malaysia.

At the International Institute for Islamic Thought and Civilisation, a think-tank based in IIU, she fielded questions about US foreign policy in a programme broadcast on television this morning.

The audience included mainly university students but also members of civil society.

NONE Clinton also met with Malaysian women leaders ahead of the event, which is part of a so-called public diplomacy where Clinton strives to make America's case before a larger audience than the usual politicians and diplomats she meets.

The chief US diplomat is due to hold talks later today with Foreign Minister Anifah Aman and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is standing in for a sick Prime Minister Najib Razak.

A Malaysian government official had said on condition of anonymity Monday that she was also scheduled to see opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is fighting sodomy charges that could see him jailed for up to 20 years.

Aides to Anwar had also said they expected a meeting. But in a bid to downplay the meeting with Anwar, US embassy officials in Kuala Lumpur have declined to confirm or give details of the meeting.

Anwar, a former deputy premier who was sacked and jailed on separate sex and corruption counts a decade ago, says he is again the victim of a political conspiracy and fears he will not receive justice on the latest allegations.

On a visit to Washington in June, Anwar welcomed the attention paid to Malaysia by President Barack Obama but said Washington needed to be careful not to be "condoning the excesses" of Najib's government.

Fifth stop in Asian tour

Malaysia is the fifth stop on an Asia tour that has taken Clinton to Guam, Vietnam, China and Cambodia. She is still to visit Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia and American Samoa.

NONE "Few countries have come as far in terms of our bilateral relationship as the one between the United States and Malaysia," Clinton's top diplomat for Asia, Kurt Campbell, said before the tour began last Wednesday.

He cited "enormous progress on a range of issues - (nuclear) proliferation issues, political coordination, and strategic dialogue".

Malaysia is also important as a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, an organisation the Obama administration is trying to re-engage with after blaming the previous Bush administration for ignoring it.

Clinton is the first US secretary of state to make a bilateral visit to Malaysia since Warren Christopher in 1995. Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice visited Malaysia in a multilateral context in 2006 to attend a regional forum.

Political relations were rocky when Malaysia was led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was known for his strident criticism of the West during two decades in power, which ended when he stepped down in 2003.

The United States sometimes riles Malaysia with calls to expand democratic freedom.

- AFP