Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for war crimes, will no longer attend a weekend summit in Malaysia, said authorities who had been under pressure to cancel the visit.

Bashir has "pressing engagements" and will not make it to the economic conference of African and Asian leaders starting Sunday in Malaysia's administrative capital, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said.

Anifah told state television late Wednesday that Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), would send Sudan's foreign minister to attend the gathering instead.

Human rights groups had urged Malaysia to withdraw its invitation to Bashir, saying that although it is not a signatory to the ICC, it should arrest Bashir for genocide if he travelled to the Southeast Asian country.

Malaysia on the weekend confirmed that Bashir and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe would be among several African leaders participating in the three-day forum held in the administrative capital Putrajaya.

But Anifah said: "The latest information which I got before I came here was that the Sudanese president will not be able to make it because he has other pressing engagements."

Deputy foreign minister Kohilan Pillay confirmed the comments Thursday.

"Yes, it is confirmed. He is not coming," he told AFP. "He will send his representative."

Mugabe is still expected to attend the conference, Kohilan said.

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur, where about 300,000 people have died since 2003.

He is the first sitting head of state to be targeted by an ICC warrant.

ICC statutes dictate that any member country should arrest Bashir if he visits. Malaysia declared earlier this year that it plans to recognise the ICC's jurisdiction to show its commitment to fight crimes against humanity.

"Malaysia should not turn itself into a port of call for fugitives from international justice," Donna Guest, Amnesty International's deputy director for Asia Pacific, said this week.