Afghanistan's interim government believes the global war against terrorism remains on track despite the rift between the Islamic world and the United States over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah played down fears of the anti-terrorism war being sidelined as Middle East violence dominated an Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) foreign ministers' meeting on terrorism here.

Abdullah said it was "realistic" for the OIC ministers to turn the spotlight on the Middle East as violence in the region escalated and the fate of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat remained in limbo.

"The Middle East conflict is perhaps one of the most important factors which has fueled terrorism," he told AFP in an interview late Monday on the sidelines of the meeting.

"It has in a way overshadowed... the (OIC) conference but that will not distract us from the main direction which is the fight against terror."

Abdullah is attending the conference as a guest of host Malaysia, which called the special OIC session on terrorism following the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington.

OIC ministers on the first day of talks Monday issued a statement condemning Israeli "aggression", warning of an "all-out war" in the Middle East and calling for UN sanctions against Israel.

Several countries such as Iran and Malaysia have also criticised the United States for supporting Israel, saying this reflected the world power's "double standard" in fighting terror.

Guarded comments

Abdullah was guarded in his comments on the gap between the Islamic world and the United States, saying this was only "on the surface" but all were united in the fight against terror.

"There are areas of common concern and common understanding despite the differences. What is important is the start of the dialogue in putting the interest of humanity above private or individual stance," he said.

Abdullah said he foresees a "constructive" US role towards the Middle East peace process despite the differences.

"There is no doubt that the root cause of the escalation is the continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. That by no means justifies the acts against innocent civilians from the side of the Palestinians in terms of suicidal attempts or whatever," he said.

"There is a problem that must be dealt with and I think there is a major role for the United States to play. But at the end of the day, it is the people of both sides which can make peace in a land where every rock has been stained by blood for centuries."

Abdullah sidestepped a question over emerging disunity among OIC countries over what constitutes "terrorism".

"One shouldn't accept 100 percent consensus on the definition of terror... despite some differences being expressed here, I think it is a step in the right direction the fact that this conference is convened," he said.

Security risks

The conference opened with Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad including Palestinian suicide bombers in his simple definition of terrorists as people who attack civilians.

But this was challenged by Qatar which said the Palestinians were freedom fighters, not terrorists - reflecting a well-known sentiment among many OIC countries.

Abdullah said the three-day OIC conference was vital to "put an end to the perception that the job to end terror is the job of non-Muslim countries or that terrorism is a menace only to non-Muslims."

Afghanistan was a "living example" that terrorism knows no religion, race nor ethnicity, he said, adding that the threat must be fought in a "global coherent manner" by the international community.

While Afghanistan had been freed from the Taliban rule, it still faced security risks.

"The overall threat is over... but there are still risks for security. There remain pockets of Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. They are still here and there as fugitives on the run and they have some links outside Afghanistan," he said.

Donors' conference

Al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden, are blamed for the Sept 11 attacks on the United States that left about 3,000 people dead.

Abdullah urged the international community, including OIC countries, to keep their pledges to help reconstruct Afghanistan.

He left Kuala Lumpur late Monday to attend a donors' conference in Geneva.