MALAYSIA SHOULD TAKE LEAD ROLE IN WORLD AFFAIRS

PETALING JAYA (Malaysia), June 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has the capability
and resources to play a lead role in the world, said former diplomat Razali
Ismail.

Therefore, he said, Malaysia should take up the position of influence
and participate actively in finding solutions to world problems.

Speaking at a forum on "The USA and Muslim World: Engagement or
Rhetoric", Razali who is Malaysia's former ambassador to the United Nations
and former president of the UN General Assembly, said Malaysia and other Islamic
countries should assist US President Barack Obama in his quest to engage the
Muslims for a better world order.

"We should also stop bashing the United States because this would not bring
us any benefit," he said.

Razali said he was impressed with what Obama wanted to do with the Muslim
world but "whether he can do what he wants to do is another thing".

However, he felt that Obama should be given the opportunity and needed
constructive help from the Muslim world to succeed.

Another panellist, Prof Mohamad Abu Bakar, from the Department
of International and Strategic Studies, University Malaya, said he doubted Obama
would succeed in his mission because the Jewish lobby in America was too
powerful.

He said all past US presidents had followed a system of values which
reflected Christianity, and Obama had to do the same if he were to be accepted
by the majority of Americans.

He pointed out that the biggest challenge Obama had was to solve the
Palestinian problem which was a "thorn in the flesh" between the US and Islamic
world.

The US Counsellor for Commercial Affairs, Nasir Abbasi, told the forum that
Obama was sincere in wanting to engage the Muslims.

He said that the war in Iraq and Afghanistan was not against Islam but the
terrorists.

In summing up the discussion, the moderator who is also the chairman of the
Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Mohamed Jawhar Hassan,
said it was too early to tell what changes Obama wanted.

"After President Bush, any US president would want change, but the question
is how far Obama wants to go," he said.
-- BERNAMA