BANGKOK, Oct 18: Australia kept up pressure on Malaysia on Saturday over comments about Jews by outspoken Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad that drew loud protests from Western governments and Israel.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, in Bangkok for the Asia-Pacific summit, said he had protested to Malaysia’s acting foreign minister during a bilateral meeting on Saturday.

“We saw the remark made by Dr Mahathir in his speech as anti-Semitic,” Mr Downer told reporters.

“It is the Australian government’s view that we deeply regret the remarks that Dr Mahathir has made and we regard them as unacceptable.”

Dr Mahathir, who is due to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum next week, provoked an outcry when he asserted that a Jewish lobby controlled Western powers.

“The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million, but today the Jews rule the world by proxy,” the premier said at the Islamic summit on Thursday.

Mr Downer said he was told by his Malaysian counterpart that the remarks had been taken out of context.

Malaysian officials say Dr Mahathir’s real message, that the Arabs should stop fighting a losing battle and sue for peace, was drowned out by the furore over his comments about Jews.

The United States, Israel and the European Union have all accused Dr Mahathir of blatant anti-Semitism, prompting him to fire back a charge of double standards.

The veteran leader retires on Oct 31 after 22 years in power.

PRAISE: At the same time, Mr Downer heaped praise on the Malaysian leader, saying he would be leaving an enduring economic legacy when he steps down this month.