Thailand's foreign minister on Wednesday denied the kingdom has plans for talks with separatist insurgents that would require mediation reportedly offered by Malaysia.

Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram said in a statement he believed Malaysia's prime minister had been misquoted about an offer to mediate between Thailand and the Islamic separatists along their shared border.

"We are checking with Kuala Lumpur. We believe his excellency, the prime minister of Malaysia, has been misquoted," Nitya said.

"There is no plan for such mediation that would necessitate any request," he added.

"But otherwise we can say, with no reservation whatsoever, what Thailand values is the cooperation that Malaysia can extend to us in our effort to bring peace and normalcy to the three southern provinces," he said.

Malaysia state media reported on Tuesday that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had said his country could act as a mediator in the conflict that has left more than 1,900 people dead over three years.

Thai Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas had welcomed the offer earlier Wednesday, and said foreign ministers from both nations were working out the details of the proposal.

But Nitya's statement later Wednesday said no such plans were in the works.

Shadowy militants

The foreign minister also said that regardless of any mediation offer, ties between the two nations had warmed in recent months, pointing to other areas of cooperation agreed to during a visit earlier this week by Abdullah to Thailand.

Relations had been badly strained during the government of Thailand's deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who accused Malaysia of failing to prevent insurgents from crossing the border to stage attacks.

But since Thaksin was ousted in a coup in September, army-installed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has made a priority of improving relations with Malaysia and curbing the unrest in the three southernmost provinces.

So far his efforts - which included an offer last year to hold talks with the militants - have yielded little progress, and violence has surged in the last four months.

The shadowy militants never claim responsibility for the attacks, leaving officials uncertain about who exactly they should talk to.

The region has a history of separatist violence ever since Thailand annexed what was an autonomous ethnic Malay sultanate a century ago.

But analysts doubt that previous generations of separatists retain much operational control over fighters in the latest conflict.