BRITAIN: British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair has urged the United States to reach out to enlist the support and co-operation of international partners in its efforts to combat global terrorism, reports Frank Millar, London Editor.
At the same time he has warned Europe not "to ridicule America's arguments" or "parody" its leadership, insisting: "Democracy is the meeting point for Europe and America."
In his annual keynote foreign affairs speech at London's Guildhall last night, Mr Blair cautioned against any Washington tendency to adopt a go-it-alone approach in the war on terror.
Stressing the need for the United Nations to assume a greater leadership role in pressing for reform in states which injure rather than protect their citizens, Mr Blair argued that America and Europe should be working together to spread democracy and human rights.
"None of this will work unless America reaches out," he said: "Multilateralism that works should be its aim. I have no sympathy for unilateralism for its own sake."
However, Mr Blair also warned critics not to underestimate the strength of the Bush administration's concerns about international terrorism. "Neither Europe nor the US should be arrogant about the other. It is not a sensible or intelligent response for us in Europe to ridicule America's arguments and parody their political leadership," said Mr Blair.
Presenting "an opportunity" for Europe, Mr Blair continued: "American policy is evolving. Increasingly both Europe and America are coming to realise that lasting security against fanatics and terrorists cannot be provided by conventional military force, but requires a commitment to democracy, freedom and justice.
"The only stable Afghanistan will be a democratic Afghanistan. Ultimately, it is democracy in Iraq that will defeat the insurgents, which is why they are so desperate to stop it.
"The only viable Palestinian state will not just be based on territory, but on democratic values.
"Likewise, the best help we can give Africa is not just through aid, vital though that is, and opening up trade, but through supporting countries in their desperate and fraught attempts to build the institutions of good governance.
"I am not, repeat not, advocating a series of military solutions to achieve it."