(AFP) The government has denied harbouring terrorists after reportedly being named by the United States on a list of nine countries told to hand over suspects or "face the consequences".

"We are confident that terrorist activities in this country are under control and we are certainly not a country that provides refuge to terrorists as claimed by the US," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying today.

The minister was commenting on a report that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had asked nine nations to hand over hundreds of suspected terrorists in the wake of the attacks on the US on September 11.

The report, in a pro-Syrian Arabic newspaper, named the countries as Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The Almoharrer weekly, which is Syrian-owned but edited in Paris and Beirut, cited European diplomats in France for its report, which added that the countries had been asked to turn over the suspects or "face the consequences".

Syed Hamid told the Utusan Malaysia newspaper he had not received any official request from the US over the matter, adding that the government would not act on media reports alone.

"If the US requests for it, we will most certainly offer assistance in exchanging information," he said.

No request yet

Meanwhile, Malaysia's Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak was quoted by the New Straits Times today as saying the US had yet to ask for military assistance from Malaysia for any reprisals.

Najib said although the government supported the US view on terrorism, it was not in favour of the methods used in eliminating terrorists.

"The US must study the root of the problem, why terrorist atacks took place and what was the move that triggered it all," he said.