VISIT TO U.S. MOST FRUITFUL FOR MALAYSIAN PM

From Tham Choy Lin

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
said his visit to the United States, particularly Washington, this time was the
most fruitful he had ever made.

The sentiments and attitude towards Malaysia had not only changed on the
part of President Barack Obama and his administration but had also extended to
Capitol Hill among the senators and congressmen, as well as the private sector,
the prime minister said.

"This visit has indeed opened a new chapter in Malaysia-U.S. cooperation,
and we will cooperate in areas that will benefit both nations," Najib told
Malaysian journalists before departing from New York Thursday.

He said the momentum of the renewed relations would be followed through with
more frequent exchanges and also expected visits by leaders of the two
countries.

Najib arrived here last Saturday on a one-week working visit and was among
46 world leaders invited by Obama to attend the Nuclear Security Summit to
discuss how to keep nuclear weapons away from terrorists and to ensure that
everyone is safe in the world.

The prime minister also had a bilateral meeting with Obama for the first
time, on the sidelines of the summit, and met with senior officials from Obama's
administration including Secretary of Treasury Tim Geithner and U.S. Trade
Representative Ron Kirk, and corporate leaders.

"My bilateral meeting with President Obama is a clear indication of the
United States' seriousness and its new attitude towards Malaysia," he said.

Najib said it was also a recognition of the potentials of bilateral
relations between the two countries and the role Malaysia could play in the
context of nuclear security, trade and investment.

"Malaysia is also seen as a model modern and progressive Islamic country
which is increasingly successful."

Najib said the fruitful visit was a good message that should be explained
and should permeate all fields and the private sector in order to generate
benefits for both countries.

The prime minister was also happy with the reception of the American private
sector which appeared to be more positive towards Malaysia during his meeting
with them.

"They indicated their wish to increase their investments in Malaysia,
especially in areas which can provide high-values jobs including for PhD
holders."

Najib said some of the American investors were now considering new
initiatives that could become a reality soon, including increasing investments
in their existing operations in Malaysia.

A Fortune 500 company involved in green technology has also made a specific
proposal which the prime minister described as "very exciting" because it is
environmentally-friendly.

Earlier Thursday, the prime minister also witnessed the signing of two
memoranda of understanding at the U.S Chamber of Commerce.

The first was between Microsoft and HeiTech Padu Berhad, a leading IT
provider, to explore a healthcare delivery system to transform Malaysia's
health system.

The collaboration would look to leverage existing technology that would
reduce the cost and development time for a country-wide platform, said a
statement.

The other MoU was between National University of Malaysia and Stevens
Institute of Technology (SIT) to undertake joint initiatives for capacity
building in innovation and technology transfer.

The two institutions will also establish a dual engineering Master's
programme.

SIT was ranked third by Forbes in 2008 for return on investment in research
and development.

-- BERNAMA



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