Diplomacy before retaliation

The terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11 have triggered a series of diplomatic missions by British and US leaders.

It is believed the missions have been designed to firm up alliances ahead of expected military retaliation against Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden.

:: US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld began a whistlestop tour of talks with government and military officials in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt and Uzbekistan, where support for military action was reported to be waning.

:: Mr Rumsfeld said Uzbekistan and other countries neighbouring Afghanistan could provide much-needed intelligence information about bin Laden’s movements, and might participate in military action.

:: Prime Minister Tony Blair was today preparing for an expected round of shuttle diplomacy amid speculation that military action against terror bases in Afghanistan would be launched within days.

:: He was expected in Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin tonight to discuss links between Russia and Nato.

:: On September 19, the Prime Minister set off on a 9,000-mile diplomatic mission which saw him take in four countries in less than 48 hours.

:: He travelled from RAF Northolt to Berlin, then moved on to Paris, New York and Washington, before recrossing the Atlantic to visit Brussels.

:: During the mission he took a dramatic mid-air satellite phone call from Iranian President Mohammad Khatami which became the starting point for diplomatic relations between the two countries to be rebuilt.

:: Jack Straw subsequently became the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

:: During his visit to the Middle East, Mr Straw had talks with the leaders of Jordan, Iran, Israel, the Palestinian authority and Egypt.

:: The gruelling four-day round trip covered 8,017 miles and involved a total of 16 take-offs and landings and 11 high-profile meetings.

:: The message he took back to Tony Blair and his Cabinet colleagues was that most people in the region were as shocked by the attacks as Westerners, and acknowledged the United States’ fight to pursue the culprits.

:: But he cautioned that they would bitterly resent any indiscriminate retaliatory attack on Afghanistan, hideout of prime suspect Osama bin Laden, which led to large-scale casualties among innocent Muslims.