'Palestinian concerns must be addressed'

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, OCT. 12. The British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair has returned home after a high-pressure visit to West Asia convinced that the West cannot hope to win the ``hearts and minds'' in the Muslim world unless there is a fair settlement of the Palestinian issue.

He admitted that the West was losing the propaganda war in Arab countries, and the message that the West was not at war with Islam was simply not getting through.

Mr. Blair's admission of a sense of frustration came after Saudi Arabia, in what is seen as a public ``snub'', declined to receive him in view of the prevailing strong anti-Western sentiment, and the Egyptian President, Mr. Hosni Mubarak warned that there could be no long-term end to terrorism until the Palestinian concerns were addressed. Mr. Blair looked uncomfortable when at a joint press conference in Cairo, Mr. Mubarak chastised the West for its approach to the Palestinian problem, and said it lay at the heart of the growing climate of violence. Observers noted that Mr. Mubarak offered only ``qualified'' support to the military strikes in Afghanistan and made clear that his country would not back any action against Iraq or any other country.

Later talking to accompanying journalists, Mr. Blair acknowledged that much needed to be done to improve communication with the Muslim world and win its confidence. ``One thing becoming increasingly clear to me is the need to upgrade our media and public opinion operations in the Arab and Muslim world. There is need for us to communicate effectively,'' he said.

He added that even moderate Arab governments were under pressure from their own people who believed that ``we have lost interest in the Middle East peace process''. This, he stressed, needed to be countered, admitting in an article in a London-based Arab newspaper that there was ``enormous pressure'' to resume talks between Israel and Palestinian leaders.

Mr. Blair's official spokesman told foreign correspondents here that ``reinvigorating'' the peace process was on top of the agenda. He said moves in this direction had begun even before the September 11 events, but they had now assumed a new urgency.

On Saudi Arabia's refusal to receive Mr. Blair, he said it had not been ``logistically'' possible to fit in the visit - a line also taken by the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Jack Straw - but observers were more inclined to accept the version of Asharq al- Awsat, an Arab newspaper, which said domestic sensitivities were behind Riyadh's reluctance to host a Western leader at this juncture.

Commentators noted that the fact that even a pro- Western country such as Saudi Arabia had been forced to be more cautious in being seen as a Western ally was an indication of the ``ugly'' public mood. ``The Saudi Government fears that such a visit (by Mr. Blair) could further inflame domestic opposition to the air strikes and lend support to radical Islamists who have been responsible for bomb attacks against Westerners,'' The Daily Telegraph said, while The Guardian pointed out that the West was worried about the ``dangerous schism between Arab leaders who basically support the West and are appalled by bin Laden, and sections of their people to whom he has become a potent symbol of defiance''.

The Secretary of State for Defence, Mr. Geoff Hoon, meanwhile, indicated that the deployment of ground troops in Afghanistan could be delayed until the next spring because of the harsh winter which is about to set. ``Historically we know that civil wars that have plagued Afghanistan tend to close down in the winter months.

That is obviously a factor that any military plan must take account of,'' he said. An opinion poll today showed that Mr. Blair's personal popularity was at its peak, outstripping Ms. Margaret Thatcher's during the Falklands war and that of Mr. John Major at the height of the Gulf War. His standing compared with Winston Churchill's during the Second World War.

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Section  : International
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