External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on Friday asked the Non Aligned Movement to 'unequivocally' declare that killing of innocent people is an evil to be condemned by all.

Warning that terrorism has spread across the world and terrorists have reached new targets, Sinha said recent attacks in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and other places show that no region and followers of no religion are immune to it.

Also see: We will not negotiate with terror: PM

"This reinforces the view that there is no connection between terrorism and any religion and there can be no justification [for it] based on political, territorial or ideological grounds," he told a ministerial-level meeting of coordinating bureau of NAM in New York.

Referring to Iraq, Sinha said the unfolding crisis shows that a collective approach through multinational institutions is preferable to unilateral impulses.

"As members of NAM, we must strive now to see that full sovereignty is restored to Iraqis as early as possible and that a credible, viable, and widely accepted political roadmap is drawn and quickly implemented," he said and called for a central and critical role for the United Nations in the process.

Talking about the crisis in the Middle East, Sinha called for putting an end to the 'spiraling cycle of violence, [and] to violent or precipitate actions' which, he said, can only complicate the search for peace.

Sinha extended support to the efforts of the international Quartet to bring peace to the Middle East.

The Quartet, comprising the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, has drawn up a 'roadmap' under which Israel and Palestinians are required to take a series of steps leading to the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.

But suicide bombings and Israeli retaliations have left the 'roadmap' in a shambles and several deadlines have already
slipped.

Sinha warned against comparing Palestine with other issues, saying this would hurt the Palestinian cause.

On the economic front, Sinha said: "We could draw some comfort from the unity and solidarity shown at Cancun by developing countries, the majority of whom are members of NAM."

Also see: Why Cancun did not succeed

The World Trade Organisation talks at Cancun failed after the developing countries led by India took a strong stand against subsidies being given to farmers in rich nations.