President Aliyev attended a ceremony inaugurating the headquarters of OIC's Youth Forum

Turkey's premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Muslim countries had a historic duty to contribute troops for a peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

Prime Minister Erdogan was speaking in Istanbul at a ceremony inaugurating the headquarters of the 56-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference's Youth Forum, the Associated Press news agency informs.

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz were also present.

"We cannot forget that a historic duty has fallen on us," Erdogan said. "We cannot put aside the need to protect the existing peace."

"If 22 European countries are joining, at least as many Muslim countries need to join also," Erdogan added.

Erdogan said Muslim countries had to contribute to the lessening of instability and clashes in the region and could not stand by idly.

Turkey's parliament is scheduled to vote on a government resolution to send peacekeepers to Lebanon as part of an expanded UN mission, despite public opposition to the deployment.

The parliament is expected to vote to authorise a one-year deployment, but the number of troops has not been specified.

The Pakistani Prime Minister has called on Muslim youths to stay away from "extremism" and serve humanity in the "noble tradition of Islam."

"The Muslim youth must be prepared to serve humanity in the noble tradition of Islam," Aziz said at the ceremony yesterday held at a former Ottoman Palace by the Bosporus. "We want them to be proud and progressive Muslims."

"Extremism and terrorism which have maligned our noble faith must be curbed," he said.

Aziz said the Muslim world made up one-fifth of humanity and pledged Pakistan's support to the Muslim youth.

"Our level of socio-economic development needs to improved," he said. "These challenges can only be addressed through sustained reform and development."

The project's goal is to advance the United Nations "alliance of civilizations" initiative which Turkey and Spain are co-sponsoring to overcome misunderstandings between the West and the Arab and Muslim world.

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