Malaysia will not rush into recognising the US sponsored interim government in Iraq and has no immediate plans to reopen its embassy in the capital Baghdad, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said today.

"All these will take time to assess. At the moment, there is no real but o­nly an interim government in Iraq," Syed Hamid was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

"In an interim government, the people of Iraq cannot decide their own future. So I think it is not the right time yet for us to make a decision o­n the matter."

Unwarranted war

Malaysia has criticised the US-led invasion of Iraq and evacuated its embassy staff to neighbouring Jordan.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a veteran Muslim leader who was a strong opponent of the US plans to attack Iraq, recently said he still believed the war was unwarranted.

Malaysia said the US-led invasion violated international law and the United Nations charter and called for the UN to take a leading role in post-war Iraq.

Syed Hamid said Malaysia would not reopen its mission in Baghdad until a "real government" led by the people of Iraq had been formed.

Several countries have either reestablished a diplomatic presence in Baghdad in recent days or indicated that they want to soon. - AFP