A proposal that Southeast Asia sets up a regional peacekeeping force has run into problems over suspicions that member countries may use it to intervene in conflicts, Malaysia said today.

"Whenever you are introducing a new dynamic into our relationship, then there is always the fear of what is it leading to," Syed Hamid said on the sidelines of an Asean and United Nations seminar on conflict prevention.

"I think people are worried this is creating a mechanism for interference or intervention, whether in an inter-state or intra-state conflict," he said of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) proposal.

"That's why we need to build that sense of comfort very cautiously, creating the understanding that will enable us to have more trust," he said.

"We need to build confidence among ourselves that the military is not intended to, or will not be used as, an intervention mechanism."

Indonesia in 2004 proposed the formation of a Southeast Asian peacekeeping force which could one day help settle disputes such as those in Aceh and the southern Philippines.

Premature proposal

Syed Hamid said that although one unnamed Asean member had proposed to have the force up and running by 2012, he believed the proposal was a long-term initiative that could not be rushed into.

"Some Asean member countries are of the view that the proposal is premature as Asean is not a security or defence organisation," he told delegates at the seminar.

"I also cannot discount the concern of at least one Asean member which takes the view that regional peacekeeping may be used as a pretext for intervention," he said.

"Simply put, though Asean sees such a regional peacekeeping force as a long-term possibility, the present comfort level is insufficient to allow for member countries to undertake this initiative at this point in time."

Asean comprises 10 member states - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.