The country's biggest labour federation called o­n the government today to cut diplomatic ties with the United States and Britain in protest against the war in Iraq.

"We urge the Malaysian government to not just talk about opposing the US attacks in Iraq but to walk the talk," said G. Rajasekaran, secretary-general of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).

Around a hundred trade union leaders representing the MTUC's 550,000 members were due to march in the administrative capital of Putrajaya later today to hand a memorandum o­n their demands to Acting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.