British Prime Minister Blair has expressed his desire to visit Malaysia as he had heard a lot about the country's moderate Islamic leadership and would like to see how it had forged ahead with its policies.

He said Malaysia has tolerance and harmony despite its diversity and such good track record could be emulated by other countries, according to a report in the Star on-line today.

Speaking to Malaysian journalists in London today, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Blair was pleased to meet Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi this week and he felt that "Malaysia can play a leading role among Muslim countries to bring about peace and understanding."

Satisfactory and fruitful

Syed Hamid said Abdullah invited Blair to visit Malaysia.

At a press conference after meeting Blair, Abdullah described it as "very satisfactory and fruitful."

Pak Lah said he impressed upon Blair that the root cause of terrorism was poverty and developed nations should address this urgently.

"I said there must be more understanding, goodwill and tolerance. I also relayed the concerns of the OIC over Iraq and Palestine and the need to resolve the problems in the region," he added.