Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's prime minister and the king came closer today to resolving a clash over who should lead an oil-rich state in the country's northeast, an official said.

The public dispute, the first between the constitutional monarchy and the executive, poses a major embarrassment for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as he struggles to assert his authority after enduring severe electoral losses earlier this month.

Abdullah held private talks today with Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin about their deadlock over who should be the chief minister of Terengganu.

Neither side issued any statements after the meeting, but independent news Web site Malaysiakini.com, quoting unidentified sources, said Abdullah appeared to have backed down and agreed to accept the king's choice, Ahmad Said.

Abdullah later met with his favored candidate, Idris Jusoh, to discuss their plans, said Abdul Rahman Mokhtar, a state legislator who accompanied Idris to Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital.

"The discussion is more positive," he said after the talks.

Abdul Rahman and other legislators said they could not confirm the Malaysiakini report. Abdullah is expected to formally announce a decision after chairing a meeting of his ruling party, the United Malays National Organization, tomorrow.

Mizan is Terengganu's titular head but also serves as the country's current king, a mostly ceremonial post rotated among nine hereditary state sultans.

Source : PTI