Umno supreme council member Syed Hamid Albar said today that he has not thought about contesting a vice-president's post in next year's party elections.

Syed Hamid, who is also foreign minister, said the focus was to strengthen Umno and prepare for the coming general election which should be held before November 2004.

"I have no time to think about it (contesting). The time is not right. When it's time, I will decide," he told Bernama after opening a youth leadership course at Wisma Belia in Kuala Lumpur.

The post will fall vacant when one of the three vice-presidents - Najib Tun Razak, Muhammad Muhamad Taib and Muhyiddin Yassin - are expected to be appointed as deputy prime minister and deputy party president in November.

Syed Hamid contested the vice-president's post in the Umno elections in 1996 and 2000 but had lost on both occasions.

Mahathir will be handing over the helm of the country and the party to his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in October.