The joint declaration came at the end of a three-day meeting in Islamabad of foreign ministers from the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

"We emphasise ... accelerating the capacity of the Iraqi security forces and securing the earliest possible withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq," it said.

The declaration also warned that Iraq should not be split along Sunni-Shia lines.

It made no reference to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's suggestion that a UN-mandated Muslim force should be deployed in Iraq.

The OIC declaration called for a settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict and an end to the "foreign occupation" of Muslim countries to promote global peace and security.

The ministers denounced the "growing trend of Islamophobia and systematic discrimination against the adherents of Islam," the declaration said.

It also "strongly" condemned the global menace of terrorism and vowed to make collective efforts to fight against it.

The declaration covered Lebanon, the Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India, Afghanistan, the row over Iran's nuclear programme, conflicts in Sudan and other Muslim countries.

Earlier Malaysia, the chair of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Friday urged immediate United Nations intervention to end the deadly violence in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the international community led by the United Nations must seek a solution to bring peace in the region.

"All this violence must stop. The international community must intervene. I think the United Nations must intervene," Syed Hamid told AFP.

Fighting has erupted between rival factions in Gaza between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party, with nearly 50 dead and 100 wounded since Sunday.

Israel has also launched a series of air strikes on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel.

Syed Hamid said Hamas and other Palestinian groups must stop the fighting and "get together in order to resolve their differences."

Malaysia supports a Palestinian statehood and does not have diplomatic ties with Israel.