Malaysia has welcomed plans by the Arab television network Al-Jazeera to base its Asian operations in Kuala Lumpur when it launches an English-language satellite channel next year.

"This is a very good development," Information Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir was quoted as saying by local media today.

He expressed the hope that Al-Jazeera's coverage of mainly Muslim Malaysia would be less "biased" than that of the Western media.

Al-Jazeera announced Wednesday that it would launch an English-language satellite channel in late 2005 to rival established 24-hour international news stations such as CNN and the BBC.

"Our target now is to launch Al-Jazeera International by November 2005," said managing director Nigel Parsons of the service that, like its Arabic-language service, would be based in the Qatari capital, Doha.

"The HQ will be in Doha, the Asian bureau in Kuala Lumpur, the European bureau in London and the American bureau in Washington," he added.

Initial staff would number "around 300" he said, and would be recruited for their professional experience and mastery of English, with no consideration for ethnicity or nationality.

Global fame

Parsons refused to comment on the budget, which he said had not yet been drawn up, but said the channel would be totally independent of Al-Jazeera's Arabic service.

Launched in 1996, the satellite channel quickly achieved global fame for exclusive coverage during the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 and for broadcasting alleged tapes made by the al-Qaeda terror network.

As well as Al-Jazeera International, the group has drawn up plans for a sports channel in 2005, and a documentary and children's channel.