The government has picked a senior diplomat to head a regional anti-terrorism centre which it hopes to launch by the end of the year in partnership with the United States, reports said today.

Zainal Abidin Zain, the foreign ministry undersecretary for Southeast Asia and Pacific, has been appointed director-general of the centre, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying by The Star .

"We hope the centre will start operations by end of this year," he said.

"We hope with the setting up of the anti-terrorism centre, the issues of terrorism, especially that involving the region can be dealt with and tackled effectively."

Financial aid

The planned Southeast Asia Centre for Counter-Terrorism, established in partnership with the United States, will focus o­n capacity-building, human resources development and exchange of information to combat terrorism, he added.

Deputy Defence Minister Shafie Apdal has said the United States may offer some financial assistance to set up the centre and "if it does, we will accept it."

Experts from around the world will serve as instructors at the centre, which will be open to all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) when it is launched.

Malaysia first announced it might host the centre after US President George W Bush raised the issue o­n the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Mexico in October.

The mainly-Muslim country has been at pains since then to dismiss suggestions that the centre would involve the deployment of US troops in Malaysia.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad signed an anti-terrorism pact with the US during a visit to the White House in May but has strongly criticised the attack o­n Iraq saying it will anger Muslims and lead to more global terrorism. AFP