Ambassadors of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) recently hinted they would no longer support the U.S.-led war against terrorism because of the constant bombardment being hurled on some member-countries.

Some of OIC members like Iraq and Iran are likely to be the next target of U.S.-led attacks, based on the recent statements of U.S. President George W. Bush about the so-called "axis of evil", the ambassadors hinted in a recent discussion at Quezon City's Sulu Hotel.

In his State of the Union Address on Wednesday, Bush accused Iran and Iraq of providing biological and nuclear weapons to terrorists. Together with North Korea, he accused them of being an 'axis of evil'.

Iranian Ambassador Gholam-Reza Yousefi here said Bush's speech was "very adventurous". Iran played a role in the U.S.-led war against Afghanistan, by hosting more than two million Afghan refugees in its border, he said.

"His statement makes the situation in East Asia, South Asia and the Middle East more complicated," Yousefi said.

Iraqi Charge d'Affaires Abdul Karim Sweikh also decried Bush's accusations as "baseless". After the Gulf War in 1991, United Nations inspectors were allowed access to Iraqi facilities, but failed to find nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

Asked to comment on the implications of the RP-U.S. alliance for Philippine-Iraq relations, Sweikh replied, "It's an internal affair of the Philippines. We support the Philippine government in solving the problem in the South and other places."

The OIC had earlier condemned the Abu Sayyaf for its "un-Islamic" practices such as kidnapping innocent civilians and foreign tourists or missionaries.

OIC ambassadors in Manila had supported President Gloria Arroyo's all-out war policy against the Abu Sayyaf Group.

Although OIC leaders denounced terrorism and the perpetrators of the September 11 terrorist attacks, they were concerned that the U.S.-led counter-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan, might affect more civilians.

Vice-President and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teofisto Guingona Jr. stressed, though, that the new round of U.S. counter-terrorism should not further complicate Philippine relations with the OIC.

Guingona added the U.S.-Philippine war games will not affect the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the mainstream Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and the ongoing peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which are based in Mindanao. The OIC Committee of Six is involved in the two peace processes.