New Delhi: In a veiled reference to cross-border terrorism faced by India, Home Minister Shivraj Patil today (Nov 20, 2004) warned countries using terrorism as a weapon against others of its "many-edged" nature.

"At times, it is felt by some countries that they should not wage open war as it is cheaper to fund terrorist activities in neighbouring countries which costs just a fraction of what a full-scale war needs," he said inaugurating an international conference on 'New Dimensions of Terrorism' organised by the Indian Association of Lawyers.

Without naming any country, Patil said, "they should realise that terrorism is a many-edged weapon. By allowing terrorists to stay and train on their soil, they should not be surprised if the same terrorists take up weapons against them."

Patil said that if terrorism was used as a "policy" to "bleed" others, it may soon become too difficult to control the global menace which would be "more terrible" than any war.

He said that terrorism was spreading rapidly because of easy access to sophisticated weapons and asked the world community to unite so that these could be sold only to people having gun licenses.

"This decision can be easily made. Though some people say such a proposal is unlikely to be adopted because it involves the economies of countries, they have to decide whether money is more important or the lives of people," he said.

The Minister said that the flow of funds, which found its way into the hands of terrorists, should be curbed and borders sealed to prevent smuggling of narcotics and weapons.