Rift between U.S., Britain?

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, NOV. 9. A leader British newspaper has reported Britain's ``frustration'' with the way the U.S. is conducting the anti- terrorism campaign on both the military and diplomatic fronts.

The Guardian, in a front-page report today, said the ``first sign of serious differences'' between the two countries had begun to appear and there was ``growing unease'' in Whitehall over Washington's handling of its war aims.

``There is concern on both the military and diplomatic fronts over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the bombing strategy; perceived lack of U.S. consultation with its allies; and insufficient U.S. focus on the humanitarian crisis,'' it said.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair's visit to Washington this week was intended to ``cement'' Britain's position as the U.S.'s ``No 1 ally'' but irritants clearly remained.

Britain, it pointed out, was particularly concerned about the U.S. administration's approach to the Palestinian issue, which Mr. Blair sees as vital if the coalition wants to the Arab world's continued backing for its military action in Afghanistan.

``The handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the main source of dispute, with Downing Street and Foreign Office worried that dithering in Washington in its handling of the peace process risks alienating Arab opinion which is seen as crucial in the coalition against terrorism,'' it said.

Mr. Blair was seen to have suffered a ``rebuff'' when it emerged that the U.S. Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell, would not be making a long-awaited speech in support of the creation of a Palestinian state.

The speech at the U.N. General Assembly was to have marked a ``significant shift'' in U.S. policy towards the Palestinian position and echoed Britain's position on the issue.

In recent weeks, Mr. Blair has worked hard to soften the Arab world, assuring them of a more even-handed Western approach to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. During his Washington visit, he emphasised that the West needed to ``recast'' its approach to the region.

``We have got to address issues like the Middle East peace process which is the context for the way that much of the Arab world views this conflict,'' he said in an interview and underlined the importance of restarting the peace process while addressing a joint press conference with the U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush. Observers here noted the that Mr. Bush's tone was less emphatic than Mr. Blair's.

Another area of concern, The Guardian said, was Washington's policy on Iraq in the context of the current campaign.

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Section  : International
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