Zimbabwe's controversial President Robert Mugabe is among African and Southeast Asian leaders meeting in Malaysia this week aiming to draw up a plan to fight poverty and bolster economic ties.

Mugabe's presence at the gathering on the island resort of Langkawi - which comes as his own country suffers hyper-inflation and chronic food shortages - is already raising eyebrows.

But Malaysia's foreign minister said the meeting, which will be hosted by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was non-political.

Syed Hamid Albar said participants should focus on sharing experiences rather than politics.

"I think you have to look at the positive side," he told AFP . "There are a lot of lessons to be learned."

"We must not give in to political inputs to everything we do," he went on, referring to criticism of Mugabe's attendance.

Asked whether there had been a negative reaction to the Zimbabwean leader, he said: "There is no problem. African leaders know each other well."

"I have heard that there have been some rumblings, but we must remember that the Langkawi dialogue is to discuss development," Syed Hamid was also quoted as saying in the New Straits Times .

"It's a non-political forum. We will not be discussing politics but socio-economic development.

Warm welcome

However several delagates said that Mugabe received a cordial welcome to the three-day forum.

While he has proved elusive to the pack of journalists and photographers staking out the forum, Mugabe was said to be actively participating in round-table discussions with other African and Southeast Asian leaders, they said.

"Other people had expressed unhappiness with Mugabe, but not at this conference," said a Malaysian delegate who did not want to be named.

"Mugabe is actually participating in all the events," the delegate said, adding that the latter was "hugged and kissed" by some participants.

The gathering, dubbed the Langkawi International Dialogue, will bring together 16 African and Southeast Asian leaders and more than 260 delegates.

Mugabe established an independent Zimbabwe in 1979 but has since come to be regarded by many as a tyrannical dictator whose rule has been marked by intimidation, violence, fraud, and robbery.

The octogenarian president has also been blamed for leading the once-model economy into ruin, with inflation in the southern African nation running at more than 3,700 percent.

The Malaysia forum is the brainchild of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and was launched in 1995 in an attempt to foster close economic and political relations with poor but resource-rich African countries.

Mahathir, who retired in October 2003 after 22 years in power, was an ally of Mugabe's, with the two men sharing a love of anti-Western rhetoric stoked by a history of British colonialism in both countries.

Workable solutions

Prime Minister Abdullah officially declared the summit open with a speech late Sunday that focused on "workable solutions" to ending poverty, the state Bernama news agency said.

Abdullah's speech outlined ideas on how "we should move forward and tackle problems faced by the African states," Syed Hamid said, adding that an ambitious plan was to be produced at the end of the three-day summit.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said he hoped that the Malaysian experience could inspire African nations to end crushing poverty.

"We have built excellent warm relations (with the participating nations) but how much they can implement (anti-poverty programmes) is actually up to them," he stressed.

Other leaders taking part in the meeting include Lesotho's prime minister, the Namibian and Zambian presidents and King Mswati III of Swaziland.

Leaders from four Asian countries - Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Thailand will also attend for the first time. A 1,200-strong police task force has been deployed in and around the stylish resort.