In a clear attempt to calm down Indonesia and Malaysia, a senior US diplomat emphasized on Monday the two countries were more than capable of safeguarding the Strait of Malacca and played down the possibility the superpower would deploy its troops there.

"There are lots of strange stories. We have no intentions in the Malacca Straits. The Malacca Strait is an international strait with a lot of Singapore, a lot of Indonesia and a lot of Malaysia in it. Indonesia and Malaysia are capable of safeguarding this strait," James A. Kelly, US assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, was quoted here on Tuesday by The Jakarta Post as saying.

Indonesia and Malaysia said on Friday there was no terrorist threat to ships passing through the strait and they did not need any help from outside in safeguarding it.

Singapore and the United States had earlier expressed concern the international waterway might be vulnerable to terror strikes and said outside help would be needed to face the problem.

Kelly said while there had not yet been any terrorist attacks in the strait, it was still possible terrorists would strike at this vital route between East Asia and the West.

"LNG (liquefied natural gas) tankers pass through this strait. Luckily, we've never had any explosion on any LNG tanker. Can you imagine what would happen if terrorists attacked a LNG tanker?" Kelly said.

Kelly reiterated the US had no plan to send its troops to the strait without prior discussions with the concerned countries.

"It's not a unilateral approach but a multilateral one," he said.

Kelly, in Indonesia to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) senior officials meeting in Yogyakarta from May 11 to May 12, met Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda and other officials on Monday ahead of his trip to Yogyakarta.

Source: Xinhua