Former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso Tuesday opened an international anti-terrorism conference billed as the biggest so far in Madrid, describing terrorism as an "attack against each one of us."

Cardoso presides over the Madrid Club of more than 50 former heads of state or government, which organized the conference scheduled to bring together the leaders of 22 countries and some 200 experts.

Madrid had paid a high price for terrorism, Cardoso said at the conference marking the first anniversary of the March 11 train bombings which killed 191 people in the Spanish capital.

Cardoso was addressing an audience including Spain's Crown Prince Felipe and his wife Princess Letizia, Madrid dignitaries and Spanish Government representatives.

The conference was expected to stress the need to respect democracy and human rights in the fight against terrorism without explicitly criticizing the US hard line.

It will conclude on Friday by issuing a Madrid Agenda intended to launch an international strategy against terrorism.

Experts were hoping the conference could agree on a common definition of terrorism which has eluded consensus so far.

(China Daily March 9, 2005)