KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar has said Malaysia is closely monitoring the Darfur crisis and the United Nations (UN) Security Council's threat to impose sanctions on Sudan's vital oil industry.

    Malaysia was concerned with developments in Darfur and the possibility that the UN general assembly would pass a resolution allowing sanctions to be imposed on Sudan, the minister told reporters after a farewell luncheon in honor of the out-going Algerian ambassador to Malaysia Rachid Bladehance here on Monday.

    "If UN has to pass resolution giving sanctions (against the Sudan's oil industry), it's going to create a lot of problems and hardship for the Sudanese," he said.

    "I think we have to watch very closely as we have our petroleumcompanies operating in Sudan. What will be the impact and implications if that sort of action is taken, how it's going to affect the Sudanese economy and the reconciliation process," he said.

    Syed Hamid, who is leaving for New York to attend the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, hoped that the Darfur crisis would bediscussed by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) foreign ministers in New York.

    Malaysia is current chairman of the 115-member NAM and the 57-member OIC, the largest and second largest groupings for developing countries in the world.

    To a question, Syed Hamid said the Sudanese government had no choice but to agree to abide by a UN resolution calling on Khartoum to restore security to the troubled Darfur region or facepossible sanctions.

    According to wire news reports, an estimated 50,000 people havedied and 1.4 million displaced in Darfur where, UN officials said,pro-government militias have carried out a scorched-earth campaignof ethnic cleansing against non-Arab minorities since a revolt broke out in February 2003. Enditem