Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he is confident that Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who succeeded him as Petronas adviser, would do a good job.

The Cabinet yesterday decided to appoint Abdullah, who had succeeded Dr Mahathir as prime minister, as Petronas adviser, effective April 1, replacing Dr Mahathir whose tenure was terminated on March 11.

"To me, he is more than eligible to be the adviser. I am sure Pak Lah (Abdullah) will give very good advice to Petronas," Mahathir told the media after attending the Criminalising War Club's (CWC) International Symposium titled 'Coalition of Younger Generation - Say No to War' at the Perdana Leadership Foundation here today.

Dr Mahathir said with Abdullah's background as former prime minister, it was apt to have him appointed to the post.

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On the symposium, held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Japan in 1945, Dr Mahathir said it did not mean that he was siding with the Japanese.

"We don't want any nuclear war, so we focusing on that and I know the Japanese committed atrocities in other countries, but we don't want that to happen either, that's why we are saying no to war and war is a crime.

"If there is no war, there will be no atrocities. I'm not siding with the Japanese or the Chinese or whosoever, but I'm against war, that's all," he added.