Malaysia protested on Thursday against the United States' demand for its soldiers to be immune from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the request could undermine the ICC's power.

"The work of peacekeepers could always be protected through other means. Even our peacekeepers were bound by the ICC. They should not... undermine it," he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

"We hope the matter will be resolved fast and if it is not, it can have far-reaching implications in the international peacekeeping arena."

The ICC, the first permanent court for genocide, other war crimes and crimes against humanity, is expected to start work in The Hague in about a year after its jurisdiction began on Monday.

The United States has refused to participate in the ICC because it says its troops or officials could face politically motivated or frivolous lawsuits.

On Sunday, America vetoed a six-month renewal of the 1,500-strong UN peacekeeping mission in Bosnia after other UN Security Council members rejected its demand for immunity.

But the Security Council voted unanimously to extend the UN police training mission in Bosnia until July 15 after Washington backed down from a threat to end it. -AFP