Muslim extremism has come under attack at a summit of more than 50 Islamic countries in Tehran.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, said he was distressed by the increasing use of violence in the name of Islam.

The Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah supported Annan

He was supported by Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who said militancy had nothing to do with the Islamic spirit of justice and tolerance.

Earlier, President Khatami of Iran appealed for closer contact with the west. He said Islamic countries should be open to other views and that there were many positive achievements in the western world.

The remarks, in strong contrast to a speech by the Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been welcomed by the United States.

The Ayatollah, accused the West of driving people to materialism and urged Islamic countries to unite against Israel and the United States.

But the Iranian President, Mohammed Khatami, in a much more moderate address, called for dialogue and openness among civilisations.

President Khatami was in the chair but a late decision gave Ayatollah Khamenei the honour of making the inaugural speech.

"We are brothers linked together with a conviction and a belief in the Koran despite our differences," he told delegates.

It was time he said for the Islamic world to unite and assert itself, creating a front stretching from North Africa to Indonesia which the Americans would be powerless to counter.

What could be more unjust he asked, than the proposed 'Land for Peace' deal with the Israelis which would leave the Zionists in control of most of Palestine.

When his turn at the rostrum came, President Khatami also spoke of the need for the Islamic world to assert itself on the international stage, but according to a BBC correspondent in Tehran, his tone was noticeably less confrontational.

The largest such international gathering since the revolution

Delegates are debating 141 resolutions. The meeting will end on Thursday with a declaration drafted by Iran.

Tehran has spared no expense. The summit is being held in a modern conference chamber set among the foothills of the snow-brushed Alborz mountains.

The summit is due to continue until Wednesday

Iran's invitations were accepted by senior figures from former enemy states such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

But upon arrival, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah condemned what he called "heinous crimes being committed in the name of Islam".

In a speech released in advance to the media, the Crown Prince alluded to the actions of Muslim terrorists in nations like Algeria and Egypt.

Iraq, which fought an eight-year war with Iran but shares its view that the US wants to isolate Muslim nations, sent Deputy President, Taha Yassin Ramadan.

He is the most senior Iraqi leader to visit the Iranian capital since the revolution.

And Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, criticised by Iran for his peace deals with Israel, is in Tehran for the first time in 15 years.

His arrival on Monday was marred by scuffles between his bodyguards and Iranian revolutionary guards at the airport.

Gulf Arab rulers, who have sought US military protection against perceived threats from both Iran and Iraq, are well represented, including the rulers of Kuwait and Qatar.

Also attending are Jordan's crown prince, the presidents of Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, the prime ministers of Pakistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh, and other Muslim world leaders.

But a notable absentee is Morocco's King Hassan, chairman of the Islamic organisation for the past three years.

He sent Prime Minister Abdellatif Filali to represent him.
 

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