TUNIS, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu Thursday urged the world to come up with a clear definition of terrorism.

    Terrorism needs to be defined so that the world can reach a common understanding of the phenomenon and make concerted efforts to fight it, Ihsanoglu said while addressing an international counter-terrorism meeting here Thursday.

    He called for a comprehensive counter-terrorism meeting in order to define terrorism.

    It is also necessary to draw a clear distinction between terrorism and people's legitimate struggles for the realization of liberation and the right of self-determination, he said.

    State terrorism also needs to be opposed, he added.

    The OIC is behind the global efforts to fight terrorism, said Ihsanoglu. However, the world was not doing enough to address the root causes of terror, he said.

    Instead of focusing efforts on military action and security, the world should seek to explain why terrorism occurs and address its roots, he said.

    Some hot issues, especially the Middle East one, need to be addressed first so that the causes of terror can be eliminated, he added.

    The OIC hoped to forge international partnerships to face the challenges of our time and the threat of terror, Ihsanoglu said.

    The three-day meeting will focus on factors that lead to the breeding and spreading of terrorism, dialogue between different cultures and religions, joint efforts of all countries in fighting terrorist activities and extremism and the role of international organizations in curbing extremism, racism and terrorism.