Hundreds of police will guard foreign ministers from the developing world who are gathering in Malaysia for a series of meetings, officials said yesterday.

A 477-strong police team will provide round-the-clock security for delegates to the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement's (NAM) coordinating bureau, said police spokesman Muhammad Daud.

"We will only allow those with passes to enter the Putrajaya International Conference Centre," he was quoted as saying by the national Bernama news agency.

Some 3,000 delegates, including 52 ministers, are expected to attend the four-day event which kicks off on May 27. Some foreign ministers, including those from Chile and Bahrain, started arriving yesterday, said Bernama.

Muhammad Daud said four scanning machines, along with police with sniffer dogs, will be deployed to ensure maximum security at the conference centre in Putrajaya, the country's administrative centre south of Kuala Lumpur.

90 members attending

Malaysia is hosting the meetings as the current chair of NAM, with ministers expected to discuss the Iranian nuclear crisis and the Palestinian situation.

The 114-member Non-Aligned Movement brings together mainly developing nations and was formed during the Cold War as an alternative to the Western and Eastern power blocs.

In recent years the grouping has turned its attention to social issues as it struggles to maintain its relevance.

Only 90 of the member countries are attending the ministerial meeting, said Bernama.