The Malaysian government does not perceive the United States as its enemy despite opposition to certain issues, said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

He said Malaysia merely wanted to stress that the US cannot impose its interests on other nations by interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, what more launching attacks on other countries, with democracy and freedom as the reasons.

"The basis of Malaysia's stand is that any country must respect the independence and sovereignty of another nation," he was quoted as saying in a Bernama report.

"Whatever the reasons are and which country does it, Malaysia will strongly criticise and condemn a foreign nation's interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign nation, like the attack on Iraq by the US.

"Our stand was the same when Iraq attacked Kuwait," he said during his meeting with editors-in-chief of 13 Indonesian mass media in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The interview was published by Kompas newspaper today.

Abdullah said this when responding to questions posed by the editors on why Malaysia often adopted an opposing stand with the US.

According to Kompas, the opposing stand was not only in Malaysia's foreign politics but also in the economic field.

The Indonesia's popular newspaper also cited as example the failed bid by the US to open a free trade area with Malaysia last year following Kuala Lumpur's rejection of the super power's request to liberalise certain economic sectors.

US investments

It said Malaysia refused to open its doors for US investments in industrial sectors which Malaysia still wanted to protect.

"We take care of our good relations with any country. In fact, Malaysia is among 10 major trading nations with the US, but our stand is clear when it comes to national interests and foreign politics policy principles," he said.

Abdullah said his policy of maintaining cordial ties with the US despite being critical of some of its policies drew flak from former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"To me, as long as we have common interests, all the countries have the same values, but when fundamental principles are violated, we will oppose the US," he said, giving the example of Malaysia's clear stand on the Palestine issue which the US was aware of.

"Let the Hamas and Fatah factions work out a reconciliation among them. It will be better if a country is formed from the reconciliation of two feuding factions.

"This stand I clearly stated to the Bush administration...we are not together (in this issue), that's another matter," he said.

Abdullah said Malaysia's wish to have ties with any country was evident when Kuala Lumpur agreed to the East Asian Summit formation to which Indonesia had a different stand.

"We agreed if the East Asian Summit is established. That's only the summit, not an organisation with a structured set up and has a clear framework of cooperation like Asean," he said.

On Malaysia-Indonesia ties, Abdullah said be it personal or formal, his relations with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono have developed and are good.