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UNITED NATIONS (Sept. 21) - President Clinton called on the world Monday to put
the fight against terrorism at the top of its agenda but stressed the cause of
the problem was not a conflict between Islamic civilization and the West.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Clinton said: ''Some people
believe that terrorism's principal fault line centers on an inevitable clash of
civilizations....between Western civilization and Western values and Islamic
civilization and values. I believe this view is terribly wrong.''

Clinton, under fire at home for a sex scandal, was greeted by a standing
ovation and sustained applause when he began his speech Monday to the annual
opening session of the U.N. General Assembly.

Some two hours before Clinton spoke at the U.N., the U.S. House of
Representatives released four hours of videotapes and some 2,800 pages of
documents about the president's affair with former White House intern Monica
Lewinsky.

But U.N. delegates seemed unfazed by the scandal that has threatened to force
Clinton out of office, applauding for several minutes as he stood at the
General Assembly lectern before beginning his address. Many delegates also
stood to acknowledge his presence.

''Let me begin by thanking you for your very kind and generous welcome,'' said
Clinton, who went on to devote his speech to a call for the world to place
terrorism at the top of its agenda.

Declaring that ''terrorism is at the top of America's agenda and should be at
the top of the world agenda,'' he listed a series of measures the international
community should take to combat extremist violence, including enforcing
biological and chemical weapons bans, controlling the export of explosives,
raising airport security standards and easing extradition.

Speaking a few hours before Iranian President Mohammad Khatami was to address
the session, Clinton listed Iran among the nations where he said innocent
people had been victims of terrorism, alongside Israel, the Palestinians,
Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Northern Ireland, Japan and Argentina.

While there were those who might use any religion to justify political
objectives, ''even cold blooded murder,'' he said:
''That is not our understanding of Islam.''

He noted that there were some 1,200 mosques and Islamic centers in the United
States and said: ''The six million Muslims who worship there will tell you
there is no inherent clash between Islam and America.''