The United States has sent a strong hint that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would still go to next week's Asian security forum, despite her possible Middle East peace mission.

Host Malaysia had earlier warned that Rice, who skipped the meeting last year, would send a negative message with another no-show at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined to go into Rice's travel plans, but said she hoped to use the forum to ratchet up pressure on North Korea for a return to six party nuclear talks.

"When Secretary Rice travels to the Asean ... forums, there will be plenty of opportunity to meet in bilateral format, as well as in groupings, to talk about the North Korea issue and the way forward," he said.

"We don't have any announcements with regard to particular meetings, but you can be certain that North Korea is going to be a topic of heavy discussions at these meetings."

Right conditions

McCormack had no comment on a statement by South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon that Rice may postpone a trip to Seoul, due to have been part of her five-nation Asian tour.

The top US diplomat was also scheduled to visit China and Japan and is also expected in Vietnam.

The Bush administration has said Rice will go to the Middle East soon, but is yet to name a date, saying the trip will only go ahead when conditions are right.

She is widely expected to head to the region as early as this weekend or early next week, which would leave to some hasty rearranging of her Asian itinerary.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar earlier told AFP he was still hoping to see Rice.

"Last time there was also a crisis, this time there is also a crisis, but we have not received any news of her non-attendance and we are looking forward to her presence," Syed Hamid said.

"I think this is a time that we would not like to see the impression or the perception of a gap, or the non-importance of Asean in terms of the US."

Reasons understood

Syed Hamid took a conciliatory line on Rice's no-show at the last ARF in Laos, saying the region was eager to get on with business with Washington.

"Of course her non-attendance - I think everybody was disappointed that she was not able to come, but we could understand her reasons for not being able to come," he said.

Rice pleaded schedule commitments last year when she slighted the talks, sending her deputy Robert Zoellick, who has since stepped down.

Asean groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The ARF brings together Asean with its key partners including China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.