MOSCOW, Nov. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin andItalian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said here Wednesday that "the condemnation of terrorism must be unconditional and leave no room for double standards," the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

    Putin and Berlusconi, who arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, said ina joint statement released Wednesday that their respective countries would fight side by side against terrorism.

    They voiced full support for anti-terrorist activities of the United Nations, including the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council, Itar-Tass said.

    The statement said the global nature of the terrorist threat means that coping with it will only be possible by presenting a common front on a multilateral basis.

    "Russia and Italy will be cooperating closely in the organizations concerned for the elimination of the threat of production, acquisition, development, transfer and use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists," said the statement.

    Both leaders also stressed the need for greater efforts to plugthe channels used to finance terrorist activities. Enditem