Blair Govt. in a fix over anti-terror law

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, NOV. 24. The British Government is facing contradictory pressures in its fight against terror with the hawks pressing for tougher action against suspected terrorists, and the moderates, including many within its own ranks, accusing it of using terrorism as a pretext to assume repressive powers.

The hardliners stepped up their campaign today after The Times claimed that it had unearthed the ``most damning'' evidence so far linking three U.K.-based alleged associates of Osama bin Laden with the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. The men - one Saudi and two Egyptians - are wanted in America for their alleged involvement in the bombings but because of Britain's complicated extradition procedure they have managed to escape deportation. They are beneficiaries of the same law that allowed the Chilean dictator, Gen. Augusto Pinochet, to escape extradition to Spain for his alleged crimes against that country.

In a front-page splash, The Times claimed that the new ``evidence'' showed that Ibrahim Eidarous, Adel Abdelbarry and Khalid al-Fawwaz were part of Bin Laden's British cell, masquerading as the London-based Advice and Reformation Committee (ARC). ``The most damning document is a fax claiming responsibility for the (1998) atrocities,'' it said alleging that the fax was sent to Eidarous and Abdelbarry a few hours before the bombs exploded and bore fingerprints of the two men. The newspaper reproduced what it claimed was a copy of the fax, written in Arabic. It also published a resolution ``signed'' by Bin Laden appointing Khalid al-Fawwaz director of ARC, and argued that the documents strengthened the case against the three men whose appeal against extradition is to be decided by the House of Lords shortly.

The ``revelation'' came amid reports that the Government might put off its new extradition legislation until the next year and even when enacted might not apply retrospectively to cover cases such as those of Eidarous, Abdebarry and Khalid al-Fawwaz. The Shadow Home Secretary, Mr. Oliver Letwin, insisted that the proposed legislation be speeded up and made ``retrospective to cover suspects already being held''. Hardliners accused the Government of buckling under pressure from its own MPs and ``backtracking'' on its promise to make extradition of suspected terrorists easier. They quoted the Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair statement after the September 11 outrage declaring that: ``We cannot have a situation in which it takes years to extradite people.''

The Home Secretary, Mr. David Blunkett, who is facing flak from party backbenchers for ``steamrolling'' civil liberties in the name of fighting terrorism, was today confronted with the classical dilemma of ``damned if you do, and damned if you don't'' as he came under pressure to stick to the Government's original proposals on fast-track extradition. ``If Mr. Blunkett will not act, Mr. Blair must. Politicians cannot abdicate to judges decisions that a foreigner's presence `is not conducive to national interest'. Sanity must return to the extradition law,'' The Times said in a screaming editorial.

Meanwhile, more Labour dissidents joined the rebellion against the proposal to detain without trial foreign nationals suspected of terrorist activity. Reports quoted unnamed ``Ministers'' as saying that the Government was ``over-reaching'' itself, and assuming powers which had nothing to do with fighting terrorism. ``Chunks of this Bill make me deeply uneasy. They amount to dramatic extensions of police powers to intrude into the privacy of individuals and they have nothing to do with the war against terrorism,'' The Daily Telegraph quoted a Minister as saying.

Thirty-two Labour MPs have already voted against some of the proposals during the initial reading of the Bill in the Commons in what has been described as the ``biggest'' backbenchers' revolt. Mr. Blunkett's bid to buy peace by announcing some concessions has not satisfied the bulk of the rebels, and more ``bloodletting'' on the issue is expected.

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Section  : International
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