The government today defended a speech by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad where he congratulated Iraqi insurgents, saying he had the right to express his opinions.

Mahathir yesterday applauded the insurgents, urging them to ensure the United States paid a "high price" for its invasion of Iraq and saying that the flow of body bags would "help Americans to change their minds" about the conflict.

"I think (Mahathir) has taken that approach and I would not say that the government supports nor objects to it," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said, adding that he was free to express his views as a "citizen of Malaysia."

"This is a free and democratic country and it's very nice to see freedom being exercised," he said.

Mahathir's outburst came as he convened an alternative war crimes tribunal which he has spearheaded for alleged victims of abuse in Iraq, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.

Strong words

He has also condemned US President George W Bush and British leader Tony Blair as "child killers" and "war criminals", but the latest comments were his strongest so far on the military action in Iraq.

"Some of the elements within the discussion are reasonable but some of the elements may not be possible to accept," Syed Hamid said of Mahathir's speech.
"As far as the Malaysian government's position is concerned, we are for peace and security. We'd like to see the situation in Iraq return to normalcy and that the current violence be stopped," he said.

Syed Hamid said the former prime minister's strident criticisms of the US would not mar relations between the two countries, which are currently engaged in a critical fifth round of talks to establish a free trade pact.

"We are matured enough in our international relations. We must allow for the existence of differing views," he said.