WASHINGTON - A senior US security official is heading to Malaysia and Singapore for talks on security issues related to the fight against global terrorism, State Department officials said.

John Bolton, US undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, is due in Singapore on Friday, and then will travel on to meet members of the new government in Malaysia, the officials said.

Bolton has been charged with coordinating the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) which is designed to stop nations, including Iran and North Korea, from spreading weapons of mass destruction.

Some 16 countries have signed up to the plan, which is expected to see new interdiction exercises at sea, at airports and on overland transit routes in coming months.

Bolton's talks in Singapore, already a member of PSI, will mainly focus on the initiative, officials said.

His talks in Malaysia, which has yet to sign up to the scheme, will focus on PSI and other security issues. - AFP