Blair colleagues uneasy over pro-U.S. line

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, SEPT 22. Even as the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, and his Government have emerged as the most vocal of U.S. allies in Washington's plans for retaliation over the September 11 carnage, leading Labour figures including a Cabinet Minister have cautioned against a ``U.S.-imposed'' military solution.

They have expressed concern that military strikes against Afghanistan to get at Osama bin Laden might lead to loss of innocent lives, and further ``radicalise'' the Muslim opinion against the West, particularly the U.S.

Mr. Doug Henderson, a former Labour Defence Minister, is the latest to ``rebel'' against Mr. Blair's ``blind'' support to any military action without pondering its long-term consequences. ``I am in favour of action. What I would be cautious about would be taking the wrong kind of action, which would make matters worse, which might fail to apprehend or arrest or eliminate the people that it was intended to, and might well further alienate the local population in places like Afghanistan and other parts of the world, where we are looking to build a coalition against terrorism,'' he told the BBC.

Earlier, in a newspaper comment he called for more temperate language objecting to the use of the term ``war'' to describe the campaign against terrorism.

However, the most embarrassing intervention from the government's point of view has been that of the International Development Secretary, Ms. Clare Short.

She broke ranks with her Cabinet colleagues to attack what she believes sounds like ``retribution'' saying that it might end up creating more suffering and strengthen a certain view that ``America is imposing all this suffering on Muslim and Arab people''.

``I think we all understand that America feels so angry that they want to get somebody, but you can't have lots of planes and guns and ships and make everybody do their bidding,'' she said calling the situation ``awful''.

She said fanatics wanted to provoke hatred and conflict and any action that smacked of revenge would mean playing into their hands.

She also stressed the need for a ``just resolution'' of the Palestinian-Israel conflict saying the present situation was unjust to the Palestinians.

Mr. Peter Kilfoyle, who was a Minister in the Blair Government until last year, questioned the evidence on which the U.S. planned to proceed against Afghanistan.

``The U.S. cannot start taking people out without proper trial. There is a danger that some of the evidence is being shaped to fit a particular agenda. I do not want to see a blunt retributive act which makes no distinction between who is innocent and guilty,'' he told The Times.

Another former Minister, Mr. Tony Lloyd, warned that any ``wrong'' action such as heavy bombing would make the situation worse. There was need to ensure that the innocent were not drawn into the conflict, he said.

Many Labour backbenchers have demanded a comprehensive debate on the issue at the party forthcoming annual conference in Brighton.

Their remarks have embarrassed the Blair Government at a time when it is trying to rally other European governments behind the U.S., but with public opinion heavily in favour of the official line it can take the criticism in its stride.

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Section  : International
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