Lee, on a four-day visit to France, also reiterated, in reply to a question, that Singapore had provided covert funding to Cambodia's genocidal Khmer Rouge movement during the 1980s.

"Yes, we did," Lee told reporters after meeting French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.

The comment came in response to a news report that quoted passages from Lee's recently released memoirs. In the book, From Third World to First, Lee wrote that Singapore had covertly funded the Khmer Rouge and allied non-communist insurgents in the 1980s. He claimed in the book that China, the US, Malaysia and Thailand also supplied indirect funds that, all together, amounted to as much as $1.3 billion.

Asked to respond to a Thai government denial of involvement in the funding, Lee said, "Ask them to check with the foreign minister of that time."

During its reign of terror from 1975 to 1979, the Khmer Rouge killed some 1.7 million Cambodians.

Lee, one of Asia's most influential politicians, served as Singapore's prime minister from 1959 until he stepped down in 1990. He still wields strong political clout and is frequently consulted by world leaders about Asian political, economic and strategic affairs.

In a nearly 90-minute meeting with French Prime Minister Jospin, Lee said the talks focused on East Asia's economic transition "from the old economy to the new economy, which I think will come about in East Asia."

He also told reporters that Singapore's recent request to buy air-to-air missiles from the US was part of an annual drive to upgrade the quality of its armed forces.

"We are limited in manpower and therefore we have to depend on technology to make up for our lack of manpower," Lee said, adding that Singapore spends about 6 percent of its annual gross domestic product on defense upgrades.

The US Defense Department said on Thursday that Singapore had asked to buy up to 100 AIM-120C Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs, along with missile launchers and technical assistance worth about $85 million. Singapore's Defense Ministry later confirmed the request.

Despite its small size, Singapore spends more on defense than many of its larger neighbors -largely because of its proximity to strife-torn nations, such as Indonesia and the Philippines, and its memories of brutal Japanese occupation during World War II.

Lee said the missiles were intended as a precautionary measure.

"The missiles will face nowhere, but they are there to welcome whoever intends us harm," he said.

The Pentagon said last week that the missiles would stay in the US and be delivered to Singapore only in the event of a military threat. If the sale is approved, it would reportedly be the first of its kind to a Southeast Asian nation.