International terrorism will be high on the agenda when Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi meets the leaders of the United States, France and Britain next week.

Announcing this today, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the premier will spell out Malaysia's stand in talks with President George W Bush, French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Abdullah currently heads the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the 116-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) of developing states.

"I think it is good for the prime minister to exchange views on how we can deal with Islamic issues, how we can avoid the perception of prejudice, perception of marginalisation, of degradation of Muslims," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

"Since Sept 11 (2001), the incidence of terrorism has not actually reduced, it has increased," Syed Hamid said, reflecting Malaysia's view that the invasion of Iraq and other US moves in the war on terrorism had backfired.

Palestinian state

As chairman of the OIC and NAM Abdullah would also convey the desire that the timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state should not be deferred, he said.

Abdullah is expected to meet Bush at the White House on July 19 before going on to meet Chirac and Blair during his five-day trip.

Abdullah took over last October from retiring premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whose vociferous criticism of Bush's foreign policies had soured relations with Washington.

While the substance of Malaysia's views may not have changed significantly, the mode of delivery has, with Abdullah replacing Mahathir's strident tones with low-key diplomacy.