PICULA: IT IS IMPORTANT TO ROOT OUT CAUSES OF TERRORISM

MUNICH, Feb 3 (Hina) - Rooting out the causes of terrorism is as important as organising the fight against terrorism, Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said in Munich on Saturday. "Terrorism did not originate in a vacuum, it is the result of certain developments and processes in the world. It is often called the dark side of globalisation," Picula told Hina commenting on yesterday's debate at the 38th Munich conference on security. In his address to the conference Picula called on the West and developed countries to help bridge the gap between developed and undeveloped countries and support efforts to democratise undeveloped countries. Participants in the conference have again tackled the dilemma of whether the fight against international terrorism should be approached unilaterally or multilaterally. US representatives have openly stated that if they do not receive support for the fight, they will continue the anti-terrorist campaign on their own. US senator John McCain said Iraq was the next target on the anti- terrorist list. Picula believes the United States would probably think twice before launching a unilateral campaign against Iraq. "Without evidence and the help of others in political and even military operations, I am not sure such a move would result in reducing the number of states which harbour or help international terrorists," Picula said. (hina) rml