CANBERRA, Australia—Prime Minister John Howard said on Wednesday he was confident Malaysia and the Philippines would allow Australian police to operate in their territories as part of efforts to combat terrorism.Early this week, Howard said if he wins elections on October 9 his government would create six police teams devoted to fighting terrorism, sending some of them to Asian countries.However, Malaysia and the Philippines warned such squads would not be welcome in their countries and again denounced Howard’s policy of launching preemptive strikes in other nations to prevent terrorist attacks.Howard said on Wednesday he would send Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Justice Minister Chris Ellison to a number of Asian countries to seek support for his plan.He told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television that given the history of Australian cooperation with Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, “I believe this proposal will be well-received.”Asked about Malaysia’s and the Philippines’ stated refusal to play host to Australian police, Howard predicted the proposal will be supported by their police forces.“We have to recognize it’s one of those things that will be discussed at an agency level,” Howard said. “And I am optimistic on the basis of past experience and the knowledge of the working relationship between the agencies that when the implications of it are understood, there will be a very positive view.” --AP