Guerrilla groups such as the Irish Republican Army, which engage in the political process, should be regarded as freedom fighters, according to Britain's former Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson.
He said a distinction should be made between terrorists who are ready to negotiate a political solution and those, like Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, with whom it is not possible to negotiate.
"I think the distinction we have to make is not between good and bad terrorists," Mr Mandelson said on a Channel 4 programme about the consequences of the September 11th attacks to be broadcast on Sunday.
"It is between those terrorists who have political objectives and are prepared to negotiate those objectives at the end of the day and engage in some sort of dialogue and ultimately some sort of political or peace process. I don't call them terrorists when they reach that stage. They are resisters. They are freedom fighters, or whatever.
"They're like territorial, as opposed to international, terrorists." Asked if he would describe Gerry Adams as a "freedom fighter", Mr Mandelson said: "I don't want to label Gerry Adams."