MADRID, SPAIN: The guessing game is still on as Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi refuses to give any clues as to when he may call the coming general election.

"It can be between now and March and it can be between now and March 2009," the Prime Minister said in reference to the Barisan Nasional mandate which will end in March next year.

"I am thrilled to hear that everyone seems impatient for the general election," he told reporters accompanying him on his visit to Spain.

Election pundits have been predicting the polling date as around early March as Abdullah has not made any overseas travel plans in February.

After attending the Alliance of Civilisations Forum here this week, the Prime Minister will travel to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum at the end of this month.

He told a press conference late Monday that he would attend the Organisation of Islamic Conference summit in Senegal in March as he would be handing over the chairmanship to the host country.?

Asked if the elections would be held before or after the OIC summit, Abdullah replied with a laugh: "I have not made any preparation for the general election."

However, the Prime Minister said everyone should be prepared for the polls.

"Whatever it is, you have to prepare. Normally, you still have one year, one year before we complete the mandate, it is a full year to prepare for election. That has been the way all these years."

The coming polls will be the country?s 12th general election.

Abdullah had on Monday held separate meetings with Algerian President Abdel Aziz Belkhadem, OIC secretary general Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and European Union secretary general Javier Solana.

Asked to comment on United States President George W. Bush?s remark accusing Iran as the world?s top sponsor of terrorism, Abdullah rejected the statement, saying:

"Malaysia cannot agree with his views on this. This will definitely not be well received by Muslim nations and could cause disagreements."