TEHRAN – High-ranking officials from 60 countries, including the main victims of terrorism, gathered in Tehran to attend the International Conference on Global Fight against Terrorism, which opened at the Summit Conference Hall yesterday and closes today.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Iraqi President Jalal Talebani Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, and Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir attended the first day of the conference.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a speech at the conference, in which he proposed that a secretariat should be established in an effort to coordinate counter-terrorism activities.
He said that the secretariat would make efforts to offer a single definition of terrorism, explore it roots, propose practical ways to campaign against terrorism, mobilize global support for counter-terrorism campaign, and reform colonialist and discriminatory mechanisms prevailing in the world so they incline toward justice.
Ban thanks Iran for hosting counter-terror conference
In addition, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent a message to the conference, which was read out by UN representative Muhammad Rafiuddin Shah.
In his message, Ban thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for organizing the conference and said that all countries in the world shoulder a responsibility for campaigning against terrorism.
He also expressed hope that the conference would achieve its objectives.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Iraqi President Jalal Talebani, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, and Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir delivered speeches at the conference.
In his speech, Karzai stated that Muslim countries have been the main victims of terrorism, and therefore should unite in their struggle against terrorism.
Counter-terrorism center should be established
Tajik President Rahmon, in his address to the conference, proposed that an international counter-terrorism center should be established.
He also stated that terrorism cannot be uprooted unless all countries make collective efforts in this regard.
In addition, Talebani proposed that Iraq host the next conference on counter-terrorism.
He also expressed hope that other countries help the Iraqi government fight against terrorists.
All countries should put aside their disagreements and have collective cooperation in campaign again terrorism.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Talebani pointed to the Iraqi government’s plan to expel the members of the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization based in Camp Ashraf, saying the camp will be closed by the end of the year 2011.
Al-Bashir also addressed the conference, saying that no serious measure has been taken so far to combat terrorism.
He also said that double-standard approaches should not be adopted toward the issue of terrorism.
After the conference, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi announced it was agreed at the conference that the Islamic Republic of Iran will host the aforementioned secretariat, and the next conference on counter-terrorism will be held in Baghdad.
On the sidelines of the conference, 10 families, who have lost their beloved ones in attacks carried out by terrorist groups, were honored