Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf says the single most important factor in the fight against terrorism is resolving the Palestinian conflict, not capturing Osama bin Laden.
General Musharraf said he believes that resolving the Palestinian dispute will strike at the core of terrorism.
The general, who is in Paris, made the remarks to a small gathering of journalists and scholars ahead of his meeting with French President Jacques Chirac later Wednesday. The two men are expected to cover an array of issues from counter-terrorism to bilateral ties.
Addressing the fight against international terrorism, President Musharraf said he could not "give a guarantee" that Osama bin Laden is not hiding in Pakistan. He said the emphasis should be on fighting terrorism, and not on, as he put it, blowing one man's importance out of proportion.
Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP.