TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for a major cultural campaign with the cooperation of all Islamic countries to stem the growth of terrorism and fight off the terrorist groups that commit crimes under the name of Islam.

�We need a big cultural move in all Islamic countries to root out terrorism,� the Iranian president said in a Wednesday meeting in Tehran with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

The president underlined that a rise in the activities of terrorist groups, claiming to go for jihad, has further necessitated closer cooperation among Muslims countries against these groups.

The Iranian chief executive also stressed the need for stronger ties between Iranian and Indonesian experts, clerics and university professors as part of such cultural initiative.

�We need to join hands and remind our societies� youth of their heavy responsibility in the current conditions,� President Rouhani stated.

He further described Iran and Indonesia as two major and influential countries in the Muslim world, highlighting the effective consultations they can hold in major Islamic and international organizations.

For her part, Marsudi voiced Indonesia�s preparedness to establish an international Islamic university to promote moderation in the Muslim world.

She also noted that Jakarta always favors �political and diplomatic� ways to settle issues, saying her country has supported the Iranian WAVE plan in the United Nations.

On December 18, 2013, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to approve President Rouhani�s WAVE (World Against Violence and Extremism) proposal.

Wave Act asks the UN member states to unite against extremism, violence and sectarian conflicts in all their forms.

The resolution also necessitates �appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace and to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character.�

By Tasnim News Agency