Blair in W. Asia to woo leaders

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, OCT. 10. The British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, had his work cut out as he embarked on a diplomatic mission to West Asia today to shore up the Muslim world's waning support for the U.S.-led military action in Afghanistan.

The visit, shrouded in secrecy for security reasons, was seen here as perhaps his most difficult yet, with the Governments in the region facing growing public hostility to the strikes on a Muslim country.

Mr. Blair's visit coincided with an emergency meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in Qatar amid increasing concern in Islamic countries over the precise aims of the Western alliance after the U.S. indicated that it could extend the action to ``other organisations and other states'', regarded as a coded reference to Iraq. Mr. Blair fuelled speculation when in an interview with Abu Dhabi Television in Geneva, where he stopped over to meet the UAE President, Sheikh Zayed, he did not rule out action against states suspected of sheltering terrorists.

As calls for Britain to clarify its position ahead of Mr. Blair's talks with Arab leaders grew, his aides this morning released an official document in Oman stressing that the immediate priority was to hunt down Osama bin Laden and eliminate his terrorist network in Afghanistan. No action against any other country was contemplated right now, and if such a situation arose a decision would be taken after discussion with allies.

Officials were quoted as saying that Britain would insist that any action be compatible with international law. It was also stressed that as of now, there was no proof that Iraq was sheltering terrorists. On Sky TV, its correspondent accompanying the Prime Minister said the impression he got was that while further action beyond Afghanistan was not ruled out, it was ``way down'' the road.

A strong anti-Western sentiment greeted Mr. Blair as the media across the Arab world attacked the U.S. for its support to Israel. Even in the ``friendly'' Saudi Arabia, there was denunciation of what the Arab News called the ``violent retribution'' unleashed by the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan. Observers said confronted with a menacing public mood, few Governments in the region could afford to be seen publicly endorsing the Western alliance. ``Messrs Bush and Blair may tell the world they are going to win the war against terrorism but in the Middle East, where Osama bin Laden is acquiring almost mythic status among Arabs, they have already lost,'' according to the West Asia expert, Mr. Robert Fisk. From Lebanon and Saudi Arabia to Jordan and Egypt, the ``Anglo-American bombardment'' of Afghanistan was seen as unjust and anti-Islamic.

At home, liberal opinion insisted that Mr. Blair distance himself from any move to extend the war beyond the Afghan borders. He was criticised for making ``ambiguous'' remarks suggesting that military action against Iraq was not ruled out.

``Mr. Blair must be explicit, and he must speak for Britain's interests which are to help build a long-term international coalition against terrorism. An attack on Iraq is a line which must not be crossed in current circumstances,'' The Guardian warned in an editorial. The Liberal Democrats demanded that the Prime Minister clarify his position more convincingly.

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Section  : International
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