Russia was refused membership of next week's East Asian Summit because regional nations were split over its application, but President Vladimir Putin will be allowed to address the meeting, officials said.

"Countries like Malaysia and a few other countries in Asean, we have no problem because we see it as... being inclusive. Russia on a geographical platform, they have got the East Asia content," said Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar.

"But since we work on the basis of consensus, on Russia's application we could not find a common ground to agree. So that was why Russia was not brought in," he told AFP.

However, Putin will address the inaugural gathering of the 16-member grouping which takes in the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as well as China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India and New Zealand.

"Russia will be a guest. Putin will address the leaders. But he will not attend the opening ceremony and the leader's gathering retreat on December 14," a Malaysian official said.

Lot of pressure

The official said Singapore and Indonesia had led the push for Russia to be included.

"There's a lot of pressure (within Asean) to accept Russia but we do not have substantive relations," he said, referring to one of the membership conditions.

However Syed Hamid said that with the launch of the first Asean-Russia summit next week, the situation could change.

"If we use the (membership) principles, the criteria, then I do not see the rejection of Russia in subsequent meetings, but that is up to the Asean member countries."

To qualify for East Asia Summit membership, countries must be a dialogue partner of Asean, have strong relations with the region and sign a treaty of "amity and cooperation".

The United States is pointedly not included in the East Asia Summit, a situation that analysts say leaves the field open for China to dominate the fledgling grouping.

But Syed Hamid left open the possibility that Washington could be included in the future.

"Based on the criteria, I do not see that it is impossible. But at the same time, we must bear in mind, what do we want East Asia to become? It should not be in lieu of Apec. It should be complementing existing bodies," he said, referring to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Causing divisions?

Syed Hamid said the new grouping should not lose its way by opening the door too wide and any hasty moves could come back to haunt them later.

"It is a question of what is the mission of the East Asia (group), how we see it developing, because this is the first one. There are still uncertainties how this new animal is going to evolve," he said.

Syed Hamid admitted that the membership issue had triggered protracted discussions. Diplomats said the negotiations had become heated and observers fear the issue could cause divisions within Asean.

"So far we have been mature about it. We're concerned that nothing should be done that would cause us to be shot in the leg, so we would start limping from the beginning," the minister said.