Malaysia said today that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's decision to skip a key Southeast Asian meeting this month was "regrettable" and that it feared the United States was losing interest in the region.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said he was not sure what conclusion to draw from Rice's non-attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) ministerial talks in the Laotian capital Vientiane.

"It is regrettable because in the history of the Asean Regional Forum and the PMC (post-ministerial conference) the US has always been represented at the highest level. That is, the secretary of state," he told a press conference.

"I hope it is not an indication that the US is giving less importance or showing less interest in Asean while focusing on the Middle East," he said.

"I think Asean is an equally important regional area so I do not know what signal we should read from her absence."

But he disagreed with speculation that Washington was attempting to pressure Asean into making sure that military-ruled Burma did not take up chairmanship of the group next year.

"They have given us the reason that they are very occupied with the Middle East. It has sent a very uneasy signal. This is the first time - it is unusual," he said.

Sticking point

Syed Hamid welcomed last week's release of hundreds of political detainees in Burma but said the junta was obliged to consider the effect its chairmanship would have on the region.

"You cannot live on your own, you have to live within the context of complying to certain tradition and customs that exist not only at the regional level but at the international level," he said.

"We have said our piece to the Burma side, but let the decision be made by Burma. They know our opinion, they know how it will affect us and finally it is them who has to decide."

Concerns over Burma have become a sticking point, and Washington has warned that Asean's reputation would be tarnished if Burma took up the rotating leadership of the 10-member grouping.

Speaking in Thailand, Rice urged Southeast Asian nations to press the junta to reform and said there could be a "possible case for reconciliation" if it freed Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.

The Vientiane meeting includes a July 28-29 post-ministerial dialogue between Asean and its key trading partners, notably the United States, European Union, China, Japan and Russia, as well as the ARF, the only official security meeting in the Asia-Pacific region.

Analysts have warned that Rice's non-attendance could hurt US credentials in the region, and deepen doubts over its importance to US foreign policy-makers.

Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick will represent Washington at the talks.