combatting terrorism PRAGUE, Oct 9, SPA -- Academics, political andbusiness leaders called on the United Nations to reform andplay the leading role in combatting terrorism. The annual Forum 2000 event was started in 1997 by CzechPresident Vaclav Havel, Nobel Peace Prize laureate ElieWiesel and Japanese philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa, aimingto identify key global issues and prevent the escalation ofreligious, cultural or ethnic conflict, AP reported. The U.N., the World Bank and the International MonetaryFund «have diminished as forces in solving local andinternational problems by the absence of equitable andeffective reform,» a document adopted at the end of theconference said. French presidential candidate Segolene Royal, Nobel Prizelaureate Shirin Ebadi of Iran, former U.S. Secretary ofState Madeleine Albright and former World Bank PresidentPaul Wolfowitz were among the keynote speakers. «Exclusive, narrowly designed fora such as the G-8 Group,cannot replace global and universal institutions like theUnited Nations,» the document said. «In combatting terrorism which is the scourge thatthreatens all nations, the United Nations should play theleading role,» it concluded.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/489270