Mideast settlement vital to allies’ success: Blair

The Western allies must show genuine commitment to getting the Middle Eastern peace process back on track if they are to maintain Muslim support for military action in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Tony Blair said today.

Speaking during a visit to Egypt, Mr Blair stressed the importance to the anti-terrorist coalition of winning the battle for public opinion in the Muslim world.

Terror chief Osama bin Laden should not be allowed to stake a claim on the sympathies of ordinary Muslims by portraying himself as the champion of the Palestinians and the West as uncaring.

Mr Blair was speaking amid claims that he had been snubbed by Saudi Arabia, home to one of the region’s largest fundamentalist communities.

Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al Awsat quoted ‘‘informed sources’’ as saying that Saudi Arabia had told Mr Blair he would not be received in the kingdom as part of his current three-day round of shuttle diplomacy.

Downing Street dismissed the report, saying that Mr Blair had discussed a possible visit with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah by phone during the past week, but that it could not be fitted into his schedule.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: ‘‘The government of Saudi Arabia has made it clear that it would welcome a visit with the Prime Minister, but as ever with these things, it is a matter of sorting out a convenient time for both sides.’’

But Asharq al Awsat stood by its story. Managing editor Ali Ibrahim said: ‘‘We are confident of our source. If we were not, we wouldn’t have printed the story.

‘‘Our source said that Saudi Arabia did not consider a visit appropriate because of its role in the Arab and Islamic world.’’

Saudi Arabia has condemned the September 11 terror attacks in the USA, but has yet to offer backing to the military action in Afghanistan.

Mr Blair’s trip, designed to shore up support for the coalition among Arab states, has included talks with the president of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed, Oman’s Sultan Qaboos and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak.

And he has produced an article for publication in Muslim nations’ press and London-based Arab newspapers, spelling out that the coalition’s quarrel is not with Islam, but with terrorism.

Speaking during a break in his talks with Mr Mubarak today, he said: ‘‘One thing that’s increasingly clear is that we need to upgrade considerably our media and public opinion campaign in the Arab world.

‘‘We recognise that in this situation the purpose of the terrorists that carried out the attack on September 11 was not just to kill large numbers of innocent people. The purpose was to set in train a series of events that would divide people - Arab and Western, Muslim and other faiths, to divide people across the world.

‘‘Our response has got to be to say to these people: you will not divide us at this time. We know the game you are playing.’’

A key part of that message must be a genuine commitment to the peace process, said Mr Blair, who last night held a 10-minute phone conversation with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

He said: ‘‘There’s a genuine, deep feeling about the Middle East peace process and it’s important people understand that.

‘‘We need to show people in the region that we are absolutely sincere in our desire to push it forward and get it back on track.

‘‘It’s important we put this peace process back on track so there are not generations of people who use the Palestinian cause as an excuse for terrorism.’’

President Mubarak repeated his long-held view that there should be an international conference on the fight against terrorism, under the auspices of the United Nations.

And he said unless the Middle East question was resolved, ‘‘there will be no safety on our planet in the future’’.

Bin Laden’s claim to be fighting on behalf of Palestinians was false and his opinions in no way reflected mainstream thinking in the Islamic world, said Mr Blair.

‘‘Bin Laden’s mission is actually about power and the power he wants is to put a Taliban-type regime in each of the many Arab countries,’’ he said.

‘‘When people in those countries think about that, it fills them with horror.’’

The Prime Minister, who was this evening returning to the UK, hinted that preparations were in place for the next wave of action in Afghanistan, which many observers believe will involve ground troops.

He said: ‘‘I cannot say how long it (the bombing campaign) will go on for.

‘‘The precise nature of the next stage of action is something that’s not sensible to discuss at the moment but we have always been aware that you have to back up air strikes with other forms of targeted action.’’

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell welcomed Mr Blair’s call for movement in the peace process.

He said: ‘‘During the Gulf War, the opportunity for a just settlement was lost through a lack of political will. The same must not be allowed to happen again.

‘‘There is no reason why efforts to achieve a settlement should not begin now. Action will be much more persuasive than articles.’’