Malaysia has shut its mission in Iraq and shifted operations to Jordan as the threat of war intensified, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said today.

Syed Hamid said there were clear signs that Washington was preparing to wage war o­n its own if the United Nations rejected a resolution to pave the way to attack Iraq.

"We are monitoring closely the decisions that are being made o­n Iraq. The important thing is for France, Russia, Germany and China to continue with efforts to prevent war," he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

The UN draft resolution, co-sponsored by the United States, Britain and Spain, would authorize the use of force unless the council decides by Monday that Iraq is in compliance with its demands.

Syed Hamid said all embassy staff, their families and Malaysians in Iraq have been evacuated to Jordan, except for two Malaysian students who refused to leave.

"They want to stay behind and their families have given their approval. We cannot force our citizens from leaving Baghdad," he said.

Plans in place

Syed Hamid said plans were in place to evacuate Malaysians living in countries surrounding Iraq if war breaks out.

The government was also taking steps to ensure that extremist Muslim groups would not be able take advantage of an outbreak of war in Iraq to create trouble, he added, without giving details.

The government of this mainly-Muslim Southeast Asian nation, hailed by Washington for its support in the war against terrorism, fears a war o­n Iraq may fuel extremism among ethnic Malays, who make up more than half of the population.

Malaysia is holding more than 80 suspected Islamic militants, many of them allegedly members of the Jemaah Islamiyah group which is linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. - AFP