KUALA LUMPUR, February 23 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Western powers are using terrorism as a pretext to conquer the world and will target Iran and North Korea once they succeed in Iraq, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Sunday, February 23.

Leaders of the developed countries have become "like a people of the Stone Age where for them, the solution to a problem is by killing people," he told more than 100,000 Malaysians at a mass peace rally in Kuala Lumpur, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

"Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, they found the excuse to once again conquer the world," said Mahathir, who takes over the leadership of the 114-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) at a summit opening here Monday, February 24.

"I am confident that if they succeed in Iraq, they will shift their focus to Iran and after Iran, to North Korea. After North Korea, who will be their next victim? It is clear that the Western powers want to once again conquer the world."

‘Do as I tell you but don't do as I do’

Mahathir slammed rich nations for their double standards, saying they criticized developing countries on human rights issues but ignored the growing worldwide protest against a war in Iraq.

"Do as I tell you but don't do as I do. This is a blatant example of double standards by the west," he said.

He has often said the Israeli-Palestinian situation is one of the root causes of terrorism, and at the peace rally he described Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a terrorist.

Israel was now "tearing down Palestinian homes using tanks and bulldozers," he said.

Sharon The Main Terrorist

"This is Ariel Sharon, this is Israel -- the main terrorist in the world that must be destroyed. Israel must be stopped from committing terror."

Mahathir, who spoke for more than an hour, was presented with an anti-war petition signed by 1.5 million Malaysians.