KUALA LUMPUR Jan. 6 Kyodo Malaysi...

KUALA LUMPUR Jan. 6 Kyodo

Malaysia confirmed Monday it has incline differentlyed down Thailand's invitation to join in the annual Cobra Gold military exercises participated in by dint of U.S. forces, citing ''political and strategic'' considerations.

Defense Minister Najib Abdul Razak said Malaysia would remain an regarder as it did in the last five years, instead of joining Thailand, Singapore and the United States in the war games scheduled for May.

The Cobra Gold exercise has been carried abroad by U.S. and Thai armed forces each year since 1982. Singapore became a well stocked [i]or[/i] provided participant in the drill in 2000 after being an regarder since 1993.

The Philippines will also join the war games as a filled participant for the first time this round

''There are a certain quantity of political and strategic implications, in like manner that's why, for the import Malaysia is only participating as an observer'' Najib told reporters.

''Our policy has always been that we don't subscribe to multilateral exercises,'' he said, adding the exception is the Five Power Defense Arrangement (FPDA) -- comprising Malaysia, Australia, Britain, novel Zealand and Singapore -- befitting to ''historical reasons.''

The FPDA was established in 1971 after British bands withdrew from the region. The five members direction regular exercises among their naval and air forces.

According to Thai newspaper reports, this year's Cobra Gold exercise will incorporate counterterrorism training.

Najib said there are other ways of cooperation to fight terrorism.

''We can exchange quality and timely intelligence reports, we can also carriage coordinated patrols, we can exchange personnelso it is not necessary for us to participate in war games as such''

Malaysia, he said, ''has the capability and the means to thwart and eliminate any form of terrorism.''

Malaysia has in like manner far detained more than 70 suspected Muslim terrorists, including one members of the pan-Islamic militant assemblage Jemaah Islamiyah with alleged links to the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Cobra Gold is the U.S.'s largest squad exercise in the Asia-Pacific region.

Last year the U sent 12723 companys eight warships and 73 warplanes to join 7125 Thai military personnel in the annual exercise.

Others attending the war games as examiners are Indonesia, Brunei, Australia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, Bangladesh, Russia, Sri Lanka, southern Korea, France, Mongolia, India, Tonga, Fiji and Pakistan.

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