KUALA LUMPUR - The planned US-led war o­n Iraq and the developing world's worries about it are expected to take centre stage at the upcoming summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), whose current chair, Malaysia, wants to give it a louder voice in these restive times.

The Malaysian government is opposed to an attack o­n Iraq. o­n Friday, the state's Bernama news agency quoted Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad as saying: "We will object to attempts to attack Iraq, even if the United Nations decides that war o­n Iraq is allowed.''

"This (war) is an act which kills innocent people. Women, children and old people who are not soldiers will be killed," said Mahathir, calling war a primitive approach to problems.

This month's NAM summit will provide the opportunity for many other countries, outside the United States, Britain and Australia, which have been massing troops in the Gulf, to express their views against the impending war - if it has not broken out by then.

Responsibility

Chandra Muzaffar, president of the peace group International Movement for a Just World, argues that NAM - the biggest forum for developing countries outside the United Nations - would be strengthened by distancing itself from hegemonic powers that tend to engage in war as an instrument of dominance.

To have countries air their independent views at the NAM summit ''is the responsibility history seems to have thrust upon Malaysia and its leadership'', the English-language New Straits Times newspaper said Friday.

''The awful thought that the NAM Summit might have to proceed during an American invasion of Iraq guarantees that the impending forum will be more focused o­n a single point than any of its dozen predecessors,'' it added.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said this week that 92 of the 114 member states of NAM have confirmed their attendance at Kuala Lumpur summit, which starts o­n Feb. 20.

Fifty-five heads of state, ranging from Cuban President Fidel Castro to Jordan's King Abdullah, have expressed their wish to attend the leaders' summit o­n Feb 24-25.

This would make this meeting o­ne of the biggest NAM summits since the sixties.

Useful position

NAM's core principles include opposition to ''all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference or hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics'', a position that many find useful to fall back o­n when looking at the Iraqi crisis.

NAM has been trying to find its moorings after the Cold War, around which much of its policies were focused. At the time, the world's "non-aligned" nations said they did not want to become involved in ideological conflicts, and wanted to focus o­n development.

Other leaders expected at the summit are Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, and South African President Thabo Mbeki. Iraq is also expected to send a top-level leader, reports here say.

Mahathir, who will be chairing the summit, has been saying that weak nations need to unite in order to face global challenges that are in the hands of the superpowers.

If the NAM members fail to unite during the Kuala Lumpur summit to frame common responses to these challenges, all their objections and protests against overzealousness, hypocrisy and unilateralism of the superpowers o­n issues from foreign policy to trade would fall o­n deaf ears, he said.

The Iraq crisis underscores all the more the need to strengthen the voice of smaller and developing countries by revitalising NAM - including, the Malaysian government says, by the creation of a permanent secretariat that it is pushing at this month's summit.

Likewise, Chandra said that NAM should give serious consideration to developing links with pro-peace and anti-war movements emerging in Europe, as well as promoting greater understanding with the European Union.

Permanent secretariate

He called o­n NAM to formally invite China to join it, since China's then Prime Minister Zhou En Lai was a major actor in the Bandung conference that launched the movement. ''If China becomes a member, it will endow NAM with tremendous economic and political clout,'' said Chandra.

Kuala Lumpur believes that a permanent NAM secretariat would help it forge positions o­n issues most relevant to the developing countries and where they often have weak bargaining positions.

The idea of a permanent secretariat has been around for some time, but NAM members have not been able to reach consensus o­n it.

Those who support the idea say that a permanent secretariat would turn NAM into a stronger and more credible grouping, especially in defending the interest of its members. But opponents say that many Southern members with economic woes would not be able to contribute funds to finance the secretariat's activities.

"We are indeed serious (about the secretariat),'' Syed Hamid said. ''We hope the idea of such a secretariat will be accepted and eventually, NAM will move forward as a body with o­ne voice championing the interests of developing countries... but not o­n the basis of confrontation with anyone.''

NAM activities are coordinated by its chairman, a post that rotates every three years. The duties are administered by the chair country's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York.

To overcome the hurdle of economic resources, Malaysia's Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz argues for a fee structure where those who can afford could to, pay more, and least developed countries could pay whatever they can.

In December, NAM members concluded that making monetary contributions for a permanent secretariat was something most cannot afford. "(But) Maybe they can contribute in other ways. Perhaps technical personnel in certain areas that can be useful to the secretariat," Rafidah said.

Albar said that without a stronger, coordinated voice in global affairs, for instance in trade and finance issues, ''whatever system or rules introduced by world bodies will o­nly benefit the developed countries," referring to the negotiations linked to the World Trade Organisation. - IPS