Terry Jones, head of the Dove World Outreach Center, told USA Today he had not been contacted by the White House, Pentagon or State Department about Saturday’s planned ceremony on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“That would cause us definitely to think it over. That’s what we’re doing now. I don’t think a call from them is something we would ignore,” Jones told the daily.

He told the media that if he burns the copies on Saturday he would not be responsible for any repercussions.

The international police agency Interpol warned governments worldwide on Thursday of an increased risk of terror attacks if the plan went ahead. “If the proposed Qur’an burning by a pastor in the US goes ahead as planned, there is a strong likelihood that violent attacks on innocent people would follow,” Interpol said in a statement, adding that it was acting partly on a request from Pakistan.

Obama is exhorting Jones to “listen to those better angels” and call off his plan.

Obama told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in an interview aired on Thursday that he hopes pastor Jones listens to the pleas of people who have asked him to call off the plan. The president called it a ‘stunt.’ “If he’s listening, I hope he understands that what he’s proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans,” Obama said. “That this country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance.”

“And as a very practical matter, I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women who are in uniform,” the president added.

Said Obama: “Look, this is a recruitment bonanza for Al-Qaeda. You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan.” The president also said Jones’ plan, if carried out, could serve as an incentive for terrorist-minded individuals “to blow themselves up” to kill others.

Pakistan’s president condemned as “despicable” the plan, saying it will inflame Muslim sentiment across the world, a statement from his office said Thursday.

President Asif Ali Zardari said: “Anyone who even thought of such a despicable act must be suffering from a diseased mind and a sickly soul,” according to the statement.

“It will inflame sentiments among Muslims throughout the world and cause irreparable damage to interfaith harmony and also to world peace,” the statement quoted Zardari as saying. “The president called for doing all that it takes to stop such a senseless and outrageous act,” the statement added.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference on Thursday said the plan would constitute “an outrageous path of hatred.” Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the 58-member OIC, expressed “grave concern” over the plan, according to an OIC statement.

Ihsanoglu expressed dismay that “the pastor who preaches religion, should choose to adopt an outrageous path of hatred by burning a Holy Book of one of the greatest religions of the world,” it said.

Saleh S. Al-Wohaibi, the head of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), expressed fears the plan has the potential of sparking violence in different parts of the world. The WAMY chief said that the burning of the Holy Book could spark anti-American violence, including against US soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“This is also a concern shared by the US commander in Afghanistan,” said the WAMY chief, referring to Gen. David Petraeus’ recent comments about the controversy.

Al-Wohaibi called the move a “highly provocative and idiotic act,” but he urged Muslim youths to respond to in a “sensible manner.”

Brig. Gen. Hans-Werner Fritz, the commander of German troops in Afghanistan, said the burning would “provide a trigger ... for violence toward all ISAF troops, including the Germans in northern Afghanistan.”

Canada’s government expressed similar concerns, saying the torching plan “flames intolerance” including toward its own Afghanistan contingent.

Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also warned of the impact between the Muslim world and the West in a letter to Obama.

“Indonesia and the US are building or bridging relations between the Western world and Islam. If the Qur’an burning occurs, then those efforts will be useless,” wrote Yudhoyono, leader of the world’s biggest Muslim nation.

Malaysia called the ceremony a “heinous” act that represented an attack on Muslims, and called on the US to stop it from going ahead.

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said the intention to torch the Holy Book was unacceptable and that Malaysia planned to “express our feelings” to the United States.

“There is no doubt whatsoever that it is an attack on Muslims, it will not only anger the Muslims in Malaysia and throughout the world. The Christians also don’t condone this kind of action,” he said. “I believe America will take appropriate action so this thing will not happen.”

India, which has the world’s third largest Muslim population, called on the US authorities to take “strong action” and for Indian media to impose a blackout on images of the event.

France’s Foreign Ministry blasted what it called an “incitement to hatred” of Muslims, and “an insult to the memory of the victims of Sept. 11.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesman said he “strongly opposed” any attempt to offend members of a religious group while former Premier Tony Blair described the planned torching as “disrespectful”.

The State Department has ordered US embassies around the world to assess their security ahead of the ceremony amid fears it could spark anti-American violence. It issued a travel alert to caution US citizens of the potential for anti-US demonstrations in many countries.

Spokesmen for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) held a news conference in Washington Thursday to address the issue and promised to distribute 200,000 copies of the Holy Book.

Tampa CAIR spokesman Ramzy Killie told Arab News that during Friday’s prayers, Muslims would be encouraged to ignore Jones’ activities. “CAIR plans to hold a Sept. 17 dedication ceremony and grand opening for our new mosque in Gainesville,” Killie explained.

Meanwhile, British Muslim activists plan to burn the US flag outside the American Embassy on Sept. 11 to voice anger at the sacrilegious plan, a hard-line activist said on Thursday. Anjem Choudary said he expected like-minded groups to stage flag burnings in the United States, Belgium, Ireland, Lebanon and Indonesia to highlight what he called the US occupation of Muslim lands.

(With input from agencies)