Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil Thursday said that India will cooperate with the international community in combating terrorism, which has become a global phenomenon that transcends borders and regions.

Patil made the remarks in his inaugural speech to the "International Conference on the United Nations and the New Threats: Rethinking Security", organized by India's Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies and the United Nations Foundation.

He said that as a longstanding victim of terrorism, India had for long advocated a higher priority in the global agenda for effective international cooperation to counter this threat.

The home minister noted that the dastardly terrorist attacks indifferent parts of the world are universally acknowledged as a major global threat, adding "we have repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that terrorism cannot be compartmentalized and that there can be no justification for terrorism on any ground.

He said that in combating terrorism, effective domestic measures must be supplemented by sustained international cooperation, particularly through a strong and effective legal regime.

The on-going conference, from July 1 to July 3, will consider threats posed to the international community due to socio-economic challenges and terrorism and recommend restructuring international organizations, including the United Nations, to more effectively counter these challenges through collective action.

(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2004)