Saudi Arabia, hit by a wave of attacks by suspected al-Qaeda militants, called at the start of a counter-terrorism conference here on Saturday for the establishment of an international center to combat and preempt terrorism. "I call on all countries to set up an international center for combating terrorism. Those working in it would be experts in this field," Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz told delegates from some 50 countries and international bodies attending the four-day gathering.
The center would "exchange and pass information instantly in a manner compatible with the speed of events and prevent them (terrorists attacks) before they occur," he said.
Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, said he hoped the conference would herald a new chapter in the global fight against terrorism.
"I have great hope that this conference will open a new page of effective international cooperation to establish an international community free of terrorism," he said.
Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter which sits on the largest crude reserves, has been rocked by a spate of shootings and bombings by presumed al-Qaeda extremists which have killed more than 100 people and wounded hundreds more since May 2003.
Abdullah's "timely" proposal for a global center was backed by Arab League chief Amr Mussa, who said the league was prepared to help set it up.
Abdullah said the fight against terrorism was linked to the fight against arms smuggling, drug trafficking and money laundering. "Hence, it would be difficult to prevail in our war on terrorism if it does not include a decisive confrontation with these three criminal networks," he said.
Arab, Muslim and Western states are attending the conference, including the United States, whose delegation is led by homeland security advisor Frances Townsend, and Britain, whose team is headed by Edward Oakden, special representative for counter-terrorism.
International organisations on hand include the United Nations, the European Union and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), whose secretary-general, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, called on the UN to "issue a resolution prohibiting the linking of terrorism with any religion."
The tolerant message of Islam "is not represented by the spurious slogans raised by those ... who emerge from the caves of darkness and which are exploited by the enemies of Islam to tarnish its image," Abdullah said.
"This conference, attended by countries affiliated to various civilisations, religions and systems, proves that terrorism does not differentiate between civilisations, religions and systems when it selects its victims," he said.
"We are currently in a war with terrorism and anyone who backs it or justifies it," said Abdullah, whose country has cracked down on al-Qaeda suspects since the wave of violence began 21 months ago.
"We will press ahead with this (war) with God's help until we eradicate this evil," he said.
Abdullah warned that the global war on terrorism would be "bitter and protracted," but he said he was confident that "peace-loving forces" would ultimately prevail.
"One of the main causes of violence is the frustration and anger created by despair of reaching just solutions to people's causes," Mussa said.
The delegates are due to discuss the causes of terrorism, in addition to the relation between the scourge and money laundering as well as arms and drug trafficking.