ISLAMABAD, May 20: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Thursday pledged that the country would not compromise in its fight against terrorism and it would eliminate Al Qaeda terrorists from tribal areas through political and military means.

"There is no compromise whatsoever. They (Al Qaeda) have to be eliminated whether through political or military means," he declared. Speaking at the inaugural session of a security conference entitled, "A New Peace - A New War," he said Pakistan had been following a two-pronged strategy of involving military and political means against extremists in tribal areas.

"Our operations against Al Qaeda in tribal areas will continue unabated," he said. Mr Musharraf dismissed misperceptions about government's recent strategy against terrorists in tribal areas and said the government's latest efforts to seek the surrender of hundreds of foreigners living in the semi-autonomous region should not be construed as a compromise in its fight against terror.

He said both political and military means had to be taken to deal with the problem. "This is the method of moving forward - that is what the strategy says." He said Pakistan's fight against terrorism was contributing substantially to the world peace.

"The government and the people of Pakistan have made consistent and very courageous contribution to waging the war against international terrorism." Continuing about Pakistan's role in the region, the President said the country wanted peace in the region despite Saarc's conditionalities banning discussion on bilateral disputes.

"In our part of the world, Saarc many not yet have achieved the kind of progress visualized for it when it was formed 19 years ago. The conditionality of non-inclusion of bilateral issues seriously undermines its effectiveness," he said.

Gen Musharraf said Pakistan's serious desire for regional peace reflected in some of the bold decisions the country had taken to achieve this goal. "We have proposed mutual reduction of force and have called for a nuclear-free South Asia."

In the past four years, he said, Pakistan had not increased its defence expenditure and "now we have even gone for unilateral reduction of force. "This underscores our desire for peace and economic development as a priority."

Referring to conflicts in various parts of the world, the president observed that the world seemed to be in turmoil because of inequalities in economic development. Dwelling on the world situation, Gen Musharraf said the way forward for the Muslim world was the strategy of Enlightened Moderation.

"There is no war in its conventional sense but there are conflicts all around," he said. Commenting on the role of diplomacy, he said preventing the causes of conflicts was a pro-active strategy while waiting for conflicts and then moving for their resolution was a reactive strategy and it underlined the importance of hitting at the roots of conflicts confronting the international community.

"The world continues to be in turmoil," he said and observed there was suppression of people, militancy and gross inequalities in the world. "The world is divided between haves and have-nots and illiteracy and poverty are rampant.

Calling for a war against illiteracy, hunger, sickness, backwardness, poverty and social injustice he said this new war would eliminate or at least reduce extremism and ensure a durable peace in the world.

He said political disputes leading to suppression of people give birth to feelings of deprivation, hopelessness, powerlessness. Such deprivation, combined with poverty and illiteracy, make a dangerous mix for militancy, extremism and terrorism, he said.

He regretted that most of those under foreign occupation today are Muslims, lamenting that the Muslim countries were perceived as sponsors of terrorism. "The insidious thesis of clash of civilization between Islam and the West is beginning to be propagated as the conflict between Islam and the West."

"This clash of civilization is inconceivable for the Muslim world and has to be averted," he said. He said Islam's message of humanity, tolerance and egalitarianism is revolutionary but the actions of a small minority of extremists and terrorists existing on the fringes of Muslim societies are tarnishing the image of the whole Muslim world.

"The acts of violence perpetrated in the name of our noble faith are unacceptable - they must be stopped. "The way forward is Enlightened Moderation. The first prong of it is rejecting extremism with each individual Muslim state focusing on socio-economic development.

"But the benefits of enlightened moderation cannot be realized to its full potential without a meaningful partnership of the West. Describing the United Nations' record in conflict resolution as mixed, the President said there was a definite need to reform its structure and processes.

"The rich must learn to share their wealth with those who have always been deprived. Loot and corruption by leaders of the developing world must be denied and checked.

Javed Jabbar, Honorary Chairman of International Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, in his introductory remarks said the IIPCR was dedicated to research, education, training, advocacy and dialogue.

National University of Sciences and Technology Rector Syed Shujaat Hussain informed the audience about objectives of NUST. Minister and Chairman Higher Education Commission Dr Atta-ur-Rehman said that knowledge was key to peace as it led to human resource development besides bringing technological advancement required for balance of power.

Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, Chairman Advisory Council, IIPCR, spoke about the impact of diplomacy on peace and conflict resolution. -APP