Kuala Lumpur: Accusing the United States and Western countries of adopting "double standards" in combating terrorism, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad on February 24 made a strong plea for outlawing war and establishing an order in which no single nation is allowed to assume the role of world policeman and decide unilateral action.

Taking over the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement that represents 55 per cent of world population and almost two third seats at the UN, Mahathir, in his opening remarks at the beginning of NAM summit, blamed the Western nations and Israel for causing a global upsurge in terrorism.

The biggest threat to NAM countries today was "the tendency of the powerful to wage war when faced with opposition to spread their dominance, he said asking the 116 predominantly developing nations bloc to "work to do away or modify the powers of the victors of the a war half a Century ago.

"It is no longer just a war against terrorism. It is in fact a war to dominate the world," said Mahatir Mohammed adding "powerful countries no longer respect borders, international laws or simple moral values following the September 11 terror attacks."

They were instead seeking to revive the old European trait of "wanting to dominate the world," he said suggesting that no single nation should be allowed to police the world and decide what action to take, when".

Mahathir told Iraq to disarm "completely" to avoid war but in the same vein sought to justify the September 11 terror attacks on the US to the "double standards" applied by the West to the "terrorism committed by Palestinians" and the "more terrifying acts of the Israelis".

"It is not religious differences which angered the attackers of the World Trade Centre. It is sympathy and anger over the expropriation of Palestinian land, over the injustice and the oppression of the Palestinians and the Muslims everywhere.

"If Iraq is linked to al-Qaida, is it not more logical to link the expropriation of Palestinian land and the persecution and oppression of Palestinians with September 11," Mahathir asked adding it was the "blatant double standards which infuriates the Muslims, infuriates them to the extent of launching their own terror attacks."

Since the September 11, the rich and powerful have become enraged with the poor half of the world.

"Today the world lives in fear. we are afraid of flying, afraid of certain countries, afraid of bearded Asian men, afraid of shoes airline passengers wear, of letters and parcels of white powder, the countries allegedly harbouring terrorists. Their people innocent or otherwise are afraid too. Afraid of war of being killed and maimed by bombs being dropped on them from hundreds of miles away by unseen forces...

"And their extreme measures to ensure security for themselves has only amplified the anger of the oppressed poor, he said adding that both sides are now in a state of blind anger and are bent on killing each other."

Referring to US belligerence on Iraq and threats on taking unilateral action, the Malaysian Prime Minister said, "We are now accused of harbouring terrorists, of being axis of evil. At the moment the most important threat that faces the Movement is the 'tendency of the powerful to wage war when faced with opposition to spread their dominance.

"The world is in a terrible mess, a state that is worst than the East West confrontation of the cold war era... With the terrorists and anti-terrorists fumbling blindly in their fight against each other normalcy will not return for quite a while," Mahathir said as he told the member countries to uphold the values of the Movement.

Against this backdrop he made an impassioned plea to the world's second largest forum after the UN to "struggle to outlaw war and nuclear weapons, research and development of lethal conventional weapons and work for a new world order when Democracy is not confined to internal governance of states only but to governance of the world.

Earlier, inaugurating the two-day summit meeting, outgoing chairman, South African President Thabo Mbeki said Iraq must "fully co-oeprate" with the UN Inspectors to satisfy the international community.

Mbeki also called for restraint on the part of US, "We should respect the finding of the inspectors and the decisions of the Security Council fully and without reservation."

UN secretary General Kofi Annan in his message urged the Movement to encourage Iraq to comply fully with the UN resolution on disarmament.

PTI