WASHINGTON, July 8: Leaders of the world’s eight industrialised nations on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to the development of Pakistan’s tribal areas, declaring that social and economic progress in this region was necessary to defeat terrorism.

The G8 leaders, who are holding their annual summit in Hokkaido, Japan, this week, also emphasised “the critical role of capacity building” in the war against terrorism and offered to help build institutional capabilities of the countries confronting terrorism.

“We reaffirm our unshakable belief that terrorism cannot and will not succeed,” they declared.

A statement issued by the White House in Washington, noted that the G8 leaders understood the need to combine economic and social development with counter-terrorism measures in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.

The leaders acknowledged that such measures “can play a critical role in bringing lasting peace, stability and security to this region.” “To this end, we are committed to further strengthening the coordination of our efforts in the border region in cooperation with the respective countries, international organisations, and other donors,” the G8 leaders said.

The leaders also vowed to continue to promote democratic values and protect human rights in their effort to defeat terrorism.

“Our response to the terrorist threat will respect our common democratic values,” they said. “We must protect individuals and uphold human rights while we confront terrorism. We must promote freedom and security, protect democracy, and ensure justice.”