Anti-terrorist diplomacy moves up a gear

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was today setting off on a groundbreaking visit to Iran as part of the effort to underpin the coalition against terrorism being developed following the airliner attacks on America.

The trip to Tehran, the first by a British foreign secretary since the Islamic revolution there in 1979, was part of a four-day trip to the Middle East including visits to Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt.

Mr Straw was expected to use the trip to publicise a British Government offer to provide £25m of aid to help neighbouring countries deal with growing numbers of refugees leaving Afghanistan.

British ministers argue that those refugees are fleeing the tyranny of Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, though the expectation of a retaliatory strike by the United States and her allies has been the clear spur for the recent huge increase in the size of the exodus.

The US and the UK both maintain that there is evidence that the terror attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania were inspired by the Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, and that he is being sheltered in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Mr Straw’s trip to the region was intended to reinforce Arab support for the anti-terror coalition, both by demonstrating a willingness to foster better relations with states such as Iraq - long regarded as a pariah by the West - and by giving a boost to the Middle East peace process.

The West knows that it will have a better chance of keeping Arab states on board during its war against terrorism if the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can be resolved, or at least subdued.

In addition, Mr Straw was seeking to convey the message that the forthcoming retaliatory action was to be directed at the terrorists and their backers, rather than representing the start of a ‘‘crusade’’ by the West against Islam.

Although Iran has ruled out allowing allied aircraft to fly over its territory for any strikes against Afghanistan, it can make a significant contribution to the allies’ effort through helpful gestures such as receiving Mr Straw, and by remaining neutral in the struggle to come.

In the past, Iranian-backed groups such as Hezbollah have done much to destabilise the region.

But the West knows that there is little love lost between the Iranians and the Taliban, and are keen to exploit that antipathy.

Iran has strained relations with the Taliban because of their suppression of Afghanistan’s Shia Muslim minority, and the development of a severe refugee problem on the border between the two countries.

Mr Straw’s visit to Tehran was set up following a telephone call last week between Tony Blair and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.

President Khatami has been quick to denounce the attacks on America - usually regarded in Iran as ‘‘The Great Satan’’ - and has called for global action against terrorism.

Mr Straw’s tour of the region was due to begin with a call on King Abdullah of Jordan.

He was due to fly on to Tehran tonight, holding talks with senior ministers and possibly President Khatami on Tuesday morning, before flying on to Israel.