'US partly to blame for Sept 11' - poll

A majority of people in six European countries believe US foreign policy was partly to blame for the September 11 terrorist attacks, a survey has found.

Researchers interviewed people in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland for the survey, carried out on behalf of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations and the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

The French were most critical, with 63% saying US foreign policy was partly to blame for the attacks.

The Italians were the least critical - 51% of them blamed US policy for September 11.

Among the other four countries, 57% of Britons, 52% of Germans, 59% of Dutch and 54% of Poles saw such a connection.

Marshall Bouton, president of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, said yesterday that the poll found that many Europeans disagreed with how the US has handled conflicts in the Middle East.

Mr Bouton said that when he was in France some residents told him they perceive US policy as anti-Muslim.

They believe “it has provided the sea in which the terrorist can swim, so to speak”, he said.

Europeans were more critical of the Bush administration’s handling of foreign policy than Americans.

Just 38% said it was “excellent” or “good”, while 56% said it was “poor”.

Americans gave the Bush administration’s foreign policy higher marks, with 40% rating it as “good.”

Despite their differences, Americans and Europeans share many of the same views, said Steve Grand, an official with the German Marshall Fund.

Mr Grand said the September 11 events have strengthened the bond between the US and its European allies.

“It’s brought Americans to be more internationalist, recognising that America has more of an important role in the world,” he said.

“At the same time it’s made Europeans more sensitive to the threats, and you see a real readiness on the part of Europeans to address those new threats.”

Researchers interviewed 6,001 Europeans and 3,262 Americans for the survey, which was conducted in June by Mori and Harris Interactive.

The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations promotes public awareness of international issues, and the German Marshall Fund is an organisation which tries to improve foreign relations.