Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Wednesday condemned the Beslan hostage tragedy and said the root causes of terror could be found in the "discrimination" of peoples, according to reports reaching here.

"Without looking at the roots it is impossible to fight terrorism. The roots can be found in the same places where security forces impose a discriminatory policy and people suffer from this," Khatami said following talks with his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian in Armenia's capital Yerevan.

"Unable to find an adequate response to this fight they (discriminated people) take harsh steps. This is why when you condemn terrorism you must also condemn violence," he added.

Khatami also spoke out against the way certain terrorists want to present their acts under the mask of religion. "They besmirch the religions that preach peace and humanism.