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Annan: Force won't beat terror


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NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said military force alone will not be enough to roll back terrorism.

Though he did not speak directly about the U.S-led war on Iraq that sidestepped United Nations approval, Annan told a conference on the roots of terrorism Monday that nations delude themselves if they think military force alone can defeat terrorism.

Instead, Annan reiterated his belief that nations working through multilateral institutions like the United Nations offered a better approach.

"If we are to fight terrorism effectively and avoid mistakes in doing so, we need more debate not less," Annan said opening a roundtable that was attended by world leaders discussing policies against terrorist attacks.

"We must use our heads and not our hearts in deciding on our response," Annan said.

The gathering heard Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf report on the front lines of the global campaign against terrorism sparked by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States.

"To fight terrorism, we must not only fight terrorists. We must win hearts and minds. To do this, we must act to end political disputes, articulate and work towards a vision of peace and development and promote human rights," Annan said.

Annan's comments came just hours after a suicide bomber launched the second attack in two months on U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, killing himself and an Iraqi security guard. (Baghdad blast)

"Terrorism will only be defeated if we act to solve the political disputes or long-standing conflicts that generate support for it. If we do not, we shall find ourselves the recruiting sergeant for the very terrorists we seek to suppress," Annan said.

Later, upon arriving at the United Nations world headquarters, Annan said the world body was reassessing its operations in Iraq and said those operations would be "handicapped" if security in Iraq did not improve.


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