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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in an interview broadcast Sunday that negotiations with al-Qaida would be futile.

In a television interview with Britain’s Sky News, Chertoff said al-Qaida’s ideology was one of total antagonism toward democracy and toward other religions.

“Nobody wants to negotiate their own demise or their own surrender so it strikes me as a kind of academic exercise,” he said.

Chertoff was responding to a question about Northern Ireland police chief Hugh Orde, who said in an interview with the Guardian newspaper published Friday that officials should consider negotiating with al-Qaida.

Chertoff said he did not believe such talks were possible.

“Their (al-Qaida’s) interest is in the destruction of the West, and unless you are prepared to negotiate about how you want to be destroyed, it strikes me as a totally speculative and unrealistic exercise,” he said.

He added that al-Qaida has grown stronger in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the past year but has weakened in Iraq.

Chertoff said he’s not aware of any specific terror plots, but said people should be vigilant during the summer months, as terrorists tend to operate during periods of high travel.

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