Nik Aziz said he only wanted to improve ties between the Kelantan and federal governments. "I have suggested that the relationship between the state and federal be improved in the spirit of federalism," he said in a statement today.

He said the federal government ought to rise to the spirit of federalism as stated in the Federal Constitution.

"Kelantan is one of the many states that make up the federation and Kelantan's right is enshrined in the constitution. But since 1990 when PAS took over Kelantan, BN as the federal government has blocked Kelantan's rights in many aspects.

"This discrimination and the various political pressures on states that are not administered by BN do not comply with the spirit of federalism," said Nik Aziz, adding that such actions had managed to topple the PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah) administration in Sabah but not the PAS-led government of Kelantan.

He said the federal government had yet to solve many issues pertaining to Kelantan such as the RM1 billion oil royalty claim, federal financial grants and development projects.

"That is why I want to improve the relationship. This is not a party matter. I am not interested in improving party matters because that is a different issue altogether," said Nik Aziz, who is PAS spiritual leader.

He reiterated that he had never wavered from his stand that there was no necessity for cooperation between PAS and Umno and that there should not be any unity government .

"That is Umno's game. It did not come from PAS," said Nik Aziz.

He added that the latest rumours came about after he held a joint press conference with International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed at the launch of Fiesta Kelantan last Friday.

"In that press conference, I said the federal government ought to improve its relationship with the state government and I will work on it. Mustapa, however, talked about forming relationship between the parties but I talked about (relationship between) governments," said Nik Aziz.

PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub said Umno should not twist Nik Aziz's words. "It (the relationship) is strictly not party to party," said the Kubang Kerian MP when contacted by The Edge Financial Daily.

Meanwhile, commenting on the talk, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Umno should be careful in accepting the offer to cooperate with PAS and not fall into its trap.

According to a Bernama report, Dr Mahathir said PAS leaders were only out to strengthen PAS and not the BN.

"I know because I've experienced it in the Felda schemes. We put in Umno people and after a PAS leader (the late Tan Sri Asri Muda) became the minister responsible for Felda affairs, all the Felda settlers opposed us.

"This was because they campaigned for PAS and not the government," he told Malaysian journalists after attending the first day of the Smart Partnership Dialogue in Uganda today.