The assistance from the developed nations and the Bretton Woods institutions would be crucial, particularly to those afflicted by the financial crisis, Malaysian foreign minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Friday.

The summit, to be held in Durban from August 29 to September 3, would also urge the developed countries, together with the developing countries, the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the United Nations, to accelerate the review of the world financial system to ensure that short-term capital flows were supportive of expanding trade, employment and development, he said.

Abdullah said the matter would be discussed at the summit as a follow-up to the ministerial meeting of the coordinating bureau of NAM which was held last may in Cartagena, Colombia.

Abdullah said the issue of financial crisis would be high among prime minister Mahathir Mohamad's priorities at the summit.

"This issue would surely be taken up by the prime minister at the Durban summit," he said.

Government heads and officials from over 100 states will gather in Durban for the summit.

Abdullah, who will be in Mahathir's delegation to the summit, said Malaysia hoped that the currency turmoil that has hit several Asian countries including Malaysia would be included in the final document of the summit.

"An appropriate reflection relating to the gravity of the problem, we expect, will also be incorporated in the final document of the conference," he said.

NAM comprises 112 developing countries and holds its summit every three years. The last summit was held in Cartagena, Colombia in 1995.

Asked if NAM was in a position to tackle the financial and economic turmoil in several Asian nations amid accusations that the movement has outlived its purpose, Abdullah said: "Certainly NAM is in a position to tackle this issue."

He said that at the last NAM summit, the movement had `rationalised' its role in the post-cold war era.

"NAM heads of state had stated that the validity of NAM and its fundamental principles were to be fully preserved and that NAM would constitute a forum which provides a basic framework to coordinate interests and positions of member states on political, economic and social issues.

"NAM, therefore, is as relevant as it was in the past," Abdullah said.