Malaysia will launch a regional anti-terrorism centre on July 1 in partnership with the United States, an official said today, despite a recent strain in relations between the two countries.

The Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terorrism will be temporarily based at Malaysia's foreign ministry before shifting to new premises in Kuala Lumpur, said the centre's newly-appointed director-general Zainal Abidin Zain.

"From next Tuesday, we will be open for business. We expect to move to our new office in a few months time after renovation work is completed," he said.

Strained ties

US President George W Bush proposed the establishment of the centre last year after thanking Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the mainly Muslim country's cooperation in the anti-terror war.

But bilateral ties have been strained recently by Mahathir's strong criticism of the US-led war on Iraq.

The centre, part of an intensified regional drive to combat terrorism, will be opened by Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar next week at the ministry in the government administrative centre of Putrajaya.

No police or military are involved in the centre, which will focus on capacity-building, studies on terrorist organisations, border security and the exchange of information to fight terrorism, officials say.

The centre, which will be open to all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), is also expected to include a research and database unit to monitor and analyse terrorist activities. - AFP