Asia: View from Malaysia

President Mahathir has been highly critical of the West.

In a HARDtalk interview on 24 September, 2003, Tim Sebastian talks to Syed Hamid Albar, Malaysia's Foreign Minister.

Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir is about to retire after more than 20 years in power.

He has recently launched scathing attacks on the morals of Western nations and what he calls their desires to impose their cultural values on the rest of the world.

But where does Malaysia stand in relation to the rest of the world? And are Dr Mahathir's comments damaging relations, especially with the United States?

Tim Sebastian talks to Foreign Minister, Syed Hamid Albar, about Malaysia's role in the region and how his country is trying to tackle the problem of terrorism.

HARDtalk can be seen on BBC World at 03:30 GMT, 08:30 GMT, 11:30 GMT, 15:30 GMT, 18:30 GMT and 22:30 GMT

It can also be seen on BBC News 24 at 03:30 and 23:30