Blair: To Quell Terrorism, Wipe Out Its Causes

British Prime Minister Tony Blair says the world must eliminate the underlying causes of terrorism because no amount of security can safeguard civilians from attacks such as this week's bombings in London.

Mr. Blair blamed what he called the "dreadful perversion of the true faith of Islam." He also listed a lack of democracy, the continuing conflict in the Middle East and economic disparities as causes.

The prime minister was speaking in an interview on British radio broadcast today -Saturday, two days after scores of people died in the London bombings. British officials have blamed al-Qaida or an organization linked to it.

"This type of terrorism has very deep roots," Mr. Blair said, adding, "... It is only when you start to pull it up by the roots that you will deal with it."

Information for this report is provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.