Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said yesterday that efforts must be made to eliminate the root causes of extremism and terrorism.

"Let us commit ourselves to eliminate the root causes of extremism and terrorism, giving all people in all societies renewed faith in their countries, in their laws, and in the futures of their children," Zardari said at the UN conference on culture of peace, which kicked off Wednesday.

"Indeed the imaginary fear of Islam has been rising," he said. "This is exactly what the terrorists had hoped to provoke. Those in the West that accept this are falling into the trap of the terrorists."

Zardari said that hate speech aimed at inciting people against any religion is unacceptable, adding that "injustice and discrimination on the mere basis of one's faith must be discouraged," and "dialogue, and not discord, between civilizations and faith must be encouraged."

The two-day Gerneral Assembly plenary meeting at UN headquarters was attended by heads of state and senior officials from over 70 countries including the United States, Britain and Israel. It is an initiative put forward by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, aimed at hastening action on some of the most urgent challenges facing the world.

General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann chaired the conference, which was also attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.