DAVOS, Jan 27: Leaders from Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan and Pakistan met here on Thursday to discuss the Muslim countries’ fractious relations with the West and urged the world community to foster better understanding of Islam to promote cultural harmony.

The discussion at the World Economic Forum have switched from areas such as terrorism and modernisation to the nuclear balance in the Middle East.

Queen Rania of Jordan told the audience that terror groups which used Islam to justify attacks had “led the Muslim world to a critical crossroads of self-examination and self-definition.”

President Pervez Musharraf argued that tensions had more to do with Western, rather than democratic, values or modernisation.

“If you’re talking of Westernisation, yes, that is in conflict with Islam and Islamic teaching because we have our different values,” he said, adding it was normal for all cultures to maintain their respective identities.

But Hajim Alhasani, president of the Iraq National Assembly, argued that Muslim intellectuals and reformers saw more of Islam’s core values outside the Middle East.

“They find Islam more in the West than they find it in Muslim countries,” he said, mainly because while Islamic philosophers had helped foster human values in the 19th century, “the problem with Muslim countries is that you don’t find these values and principles implemented within the Muslim society. You find corruption everywhere and Muslim values are against corruption.”

The Iraq parliament chief said: “We think democracy is a solution for Muslim nations.”

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said it could be “difficult” to impose the sort of democracy that was presently “the accepted form of government all over the world”.

Asked how the United States should help Muslim countries, the panelists’ answers ranged from the concrete — money for Afghanistan and help resolving the Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India — to the theoretical requests for cultural comprehension from Iraq and Jordan.

Queen Rania drew sustained applause when she said: “Please take time to understand the Muslim world (and) what it is that we stand for. Don’t try to influence Islam, don’t try to manipulate it because that will just alienate us even more.”

Over-simplification of the Islamic culture, she warned, “can be a very dangerous thing in this day and age”.

Mr Karzai pointed out that many of the extremists now threatening the world with attacks “were trained by the West and the Muslim world together in the war against the former Soviet Union with billions of dollars.”

Finally, a questioner from Bahrain asked the leaders whether they felt Iran, like Israel, had a right to be a nuclear power.

Mr Alhasani, Mr Karzai and Queen Rania said nuclear weapons should be banned worldwide, while President Musharraf simply replied “no”, explaining that it was because Tehran was not itself subject to a nuclear threat.

Mr Karzai, who livened up the debate several times, underscored that a ban on nuclear weapons should apply “to all countries, not only Israel and Iran.”

Laughter broke out when he turned to President Musharraf and said: “I’m sorry, I forgot you had one.

MUSHARRAF MEETS MUSLIM LEADERS: President General Pervez Musharraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai met on Thursday on the margins of the World Economic Forum and discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern.

The two leaders agreed to continue work closely to hunt down suspected terrorists.

They also exchanged views on the ongoing reconstruction process in Afghanistan besides discussing ways and means to expand their economic and commercial ties.

The ongoing relief efforts in quake-stricken areas of Pakistan also came under discussion.

TURKISH PM: President Musharraf and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan underscored the need for increasing their bilateral trade volume to one billion dollars from the existing $300 million.

It was emphasized that while Pakistan could provide Turkey an access to South Asia, Turkey could play a similar role for Pakistan in Europe.

President Musharraf also identified ways and means to attract greater Turkish investment in Pakistan, particularly in the field of defence production.

Both leaders also discussed regional and international issues, including the situation in Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan. Both leaders reaffirmed their firm commitment to maintaining territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iraq that borders on Turkey.—Agencies