Mr Bush praised his close ally, Saudi King Abdullah, who sponsored the conference, but effectively challenged the strict Islamic kingdom's outlawing of apostasy, or change of religion.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Mr Bush noted that the UN Declaration of Human Rights, adopted 60 years ago, enshrines 'the right to choose or change religions and the right to worship in private or public'. He told an audience made up of representatives from 80 countries that 'freedom includes the right of all people to worship as they see fit'.

Mr Bush was attending the second day of a conference called at the initiative of King Abdullah to discuss ways to avoid the religious and social divides dubbed the 'clash of civilisations'. Security was tight at UN headquarters in New York, with heavily armed patrol boats cruising along the banks of the East River. The embankment highway leading to the United Nations was briefly shut down for Mr Bush's motorcade.

The outgoing US president was unapologetic about the controversial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many in the Islamic world see the United States as the aggressor in both places, but Mr Bush said that his country was 'protecting' Muslims.

'Through the generations, our nation has helped defend the religious liberty of others - from liberating the concentration camps of Europe, to protecting Muslims in places like Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq,' Mr Bush said.

The two-day UN meeting, billed as a dialogue, has highlighted differences between the Muslim world and Western countries over how to interpret tolerance and freedom.

European speakers have stressed the supremacy of individual human rights in speeches that amounted to veiled criticism of Muslim governments.

Meanwhile, representatives of Islamic states repeatedly stressed what they described as Western intolerance of Islam.

Pakistani President Asif Zardari took up the theme on Thursday, saying that 'imaginary fear of Islam has been rising'.

'The imaginary fear of our religion has created a new form of discrimination and is giving rise to new tensions,' he said.

However, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said different cultures must focus on seeking common ground, especially at a time of global economic turmoil.

'The way forward is not in countries working in isolation from or against each other, but countries working together,' he said. 'The cooperation of peoples, whatever their faith, in each continent of the world will determine whether we can build a truly global society.'

King Abdullah pushed for the UN conference as a follow-up to efforts at promoting inter-faith dialogue in the World Conference on Dialogue held last July in Madrid.

His role has attracted criticism, notably from Human Rights Watch, which described Saudi Arabia as repressing religious and other freedoms.

However, world leaders here praised the king as a pioneer in attempting to build bridges between the Islamic and Western worlds.

Mr Bush thanked King Abdullah 'for his leadership and convincing us all to come together and speak about faith'.

A committed Christian, the outgoing US president struck a personal note, recalling that 'many years ago faith changed my life'.

'Faith has sustained me through the challenges and the joys of my presidency and faith will guide me through the rest of my days,' Mr Bush said. -- AFP