WASHINGTON Former President Pervez Musharraf has warned that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden`s latest message in which he calls for jihad against Israel will find its mark in certain quarters of the Muslim world.

`These are words which are welcomed by the masses in the Muslim world,` said the retired general while referring to the latest Israeli aggression in Gaza in which more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed so far.

In a speech at the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan on Wednesday night, Musharraf maintained the long-term fight against bin Laden or other terrorists will not be won by military means.

`I draw a similarity with a tree. When you are dealing with the terrorists and killing any number of them, you are plucking the leaves, shedding the leaves off the tree.

`And more leaves will grow. When you destroy an organization, you chop off one branch of the tree. But the roots remain.`

He advocated a `multi-pronged approach` to dealing with the roots of terrorism in Pakistan, including political, social and economic development.

The former president said that a lack of understanding prevents people in the United States from appreciating the key role Pakistan is playing in the war against terror.

`Pakistan is doing all that it can,` he said. `Pakistan is a victim of terrorism and that is what needs to be understood. We are a victim.`

In a brief news conference and later in his speech, Musharraf reminded his American audience that Pakistan had a key role in the fight against terrorism because it`s located in a region deemed central to the outcome of that battle.

`Pakistan has confronted terrorism and extremism for more than two decades now,` he said. `We are together in the fight against terrorism.`

His speech at the council marked his first US appearance since he left office last year, as he embarks on a speaking tour across the United States.

The former president said that those who say that Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaeda leaders were hiding in Pakistan`s tribal areas were only speculating.

He also rejected the suggestion that Fata has become a base for al-Qaeda operations.

Although he acknowledged that some al-Qaeda and Taliban militants are hiding in Fata, there is no safe haven for the militants in Pakistan. He said the militants are not safe anywhere in Pakistan because the Pakistani military is after them.

`I am not sure,` he said of Osama bin Ladens whereabouts. `It is just conjecture. He is in the mountains somewhere on either side of the border. A lot of people keep asking me where he is. I dont know.`

He rejected the criticism that Pakistan had wasted billions of dollars in US aid, or that its military was not up to the task, reminding the audience that all major arrests of al-Qaida leaders were arrested in Pakistani by Pakistani security forces.

`We killed about 700 of them,` he said.

The Pakistani army, he said, was `fighting terrorism to the best of its ability.`

But he said progress in Fata does not hinge on military might alone.

Over the long term, he said, social and economic progress will have to win the day.

`It is essential, because the people are poor and jobless.`

The former president said despite the current tensions between India and Pakistan; he believed both nations could move toward peace. `Weve come a long way, I think. Weve fought three wars and a number skirmishes.`