JAKARTA, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Indonesia today welcomed Malaysia's call for Asean to jointly fight the haze caused by forest fires in Indonesia and hopes neighbouring countries understood its difficulties in overcoming the problem.

Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said this in response to a statement by Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that the haze problem would plague the region for years to come unless the countries affected pooled their resources to tackle it.

Najib said Asean needed to set up a fund as it was expensive to buy the equipment to fight the haze, such as water bombing aircraft.

Andi said the Indonesian government was doing its best to overcome the problem but its efforts were hampered by the fires burning in peat soil deep in the interior which was difficult to access.

"We are hoping the rainy season will come quickly to help us put out the fires," he was quoted as saying today by Antara news agency.

He said Indonesia had accepted the assistance of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department to fight the haze last year and was open to offers of cooperation.

It would be up to the relevant ministries and departments to discuss the technical matters of such cooperation, he added.

The fires in Sumatra and Indonesian Kalimantan on Borneo island have cast a pall of smoke and ash over Malaysia and Singapore in recent weeks.