US Defence Secretary begins Asia tour

The American Defence Secretary, William Cohen, is in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, at the start of an Asian tour.

He said one of the main purposes of his trip would be to convey to Asian nations that the United States was, as he put it, a solid ally in good times and bad.

But he said he would also stress the need for reforms in the region to deal with the economic crisis.

Mr Cohen is due to hold talks with the Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohammad, and other senior figures,

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service