NEW YORK, Sept 26: President General Pervez Musharraf on Monday reiterated that the resolution of the Palestinian issue was crucial for peace between western world and Muslims.

He was answering questions at the launching of his book In the line of Fire at the Council of Foreign Relations.

He insisted that the Palestine issue was at the core of terrorism in the region and its settlement would have a far-reaching impact everywhere in curbing extremism, which in turn bred terrorism.

He said new fronts, like Lebanon and Iraq, had further complicated the anti-terror campaign.

“We should address the Palestinian issue first that will create (a ripple) effect everywhere, including in the war on terrorism and extremism,” he said. His book is reported to have soared to number 14 on the bestseller list from 122 on Friday.

Gen Musharraf said that the world should understand the environment and address extremism and terrorism in their entire complexity.

He said that using the instrument of military alone was not enough to combat terrorism, adding that it was imperative to address extremism, which was the source of the menace.

“Extremism is a source that spawns terrorism and we need a different strategy to address it holistically,” he observed.

He noted that while talk of terrorism previously meant Al Qaeda, Taliban sprung up as a new phenomenon and introduced another element Talibanisation which is a way of obscurantist thought.

“So we need to understand the situation in its entire complexity. We need to see the environment in the world in the region and in the respective countries and address the core issues through a well- thought out strategy and implement it.”

He dismissed the notion that Taliban were operating from Quetta in Balochistan and said that it was wrong, adding that their leader, Mullah Omar, was leading the radical militia from southern Afghanistan.

He called for an end to the blame game and underlined that there was a need to understand the environment in that country.

Pakistan, he reiterated, wanted stability in Afghanistan and supported the Bonn process.

Referring to Pakistan-India relations, he termed his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was a step towards resolution of outstanding disputes, including Kashmir.