Building alliance runs into problems

Blair has been building a coalition -- but comments by Berlusconi have not helped

By Robin Oakley, CNN's European political editor

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Efforts by Europe and the U.S. to build a worldwide coalition against terrorism have not had universal success. And a contribution from Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has not helped.

Crucial to the coalition building is the enlistment of as many Islamic states as possible. To that end President George W. Bush and many European leaders have been insistent that it is not a question of Europe and America lining up against Islam.

Bush has significantly rowed back from a comment when he used the word "crusade" about the anti-terrorist effort and the codename of the whole operation has been revised from "Operation Infinite Justice" to "Operation Enduring Freedom" to avoid offending Muslims, some of whom had objected to what they saw as prejudicial language.

Chris Patten, the European Union's External Affairs Commissioner, summarised the position when, speaking as one of the EU troika visiting Pakistan, he stressed that the West "does not in any way equate terrorism with the Arab or Muslim worlds."

Patten, Javier Solana, the EU's international affairs policy chief, and Louis Michel, the Belgian Foreign Minister, have been very careful to underline that message on the troika's visit to Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria.

But on a visit to Berlin on Wednesday, Berlusconi hindered their efforts and confirmed the worst fears of some in the Islamic world by speaking of the "supremacy" and "superiority" of western civilisation.

He called for Europeans to recognise their "common Christian roots" and, talking of a civilisation "with a respect for human rights and religion", he added: "This respect certainly does not exist in the Islamic countries."

Many western leaders, painstakingly trying to attract moderate Arab states into the broadest possible coalition, will have been horrified by such language, used on more than one occasion by Berlusconi.

The Italian Prime Minister has also raised eyebrows by seeking to link Islamic terrorism with the anti-globalisation rioters at the Genoa summit, following which the Italian police were strongly criticised by other Europeans for over-reaction in their treatment of the protesters, one of whom was killed.

Trouble in Tehran

The allies' quest for a wider coalition has not proved an entire success. Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and the EU troika both visited Iran in the hope of winning support from the regime there for the anti-terrorism effort. It was the first visit by a British minister to Teheran since the revolution which toppled the Shah in 1979.

Iran has condemned the terrorist attacks in New York and is opposed to the Taliban. But following the visits the Ayatollah Khameini said there would be no co-operation with the U.S., which he labelled as "disgusting". He said America was using the attacks on the World Trade Center as a pretext for settling old scores.

Clerics and others at his public meeting resumed chants of "Death to America", recently absent from Friday prayers, and even President Khatami, leader of the moderate reformists whom the West hopes will increasingly set the tone of Iranian society, condemned what he called Bush's "arrogance."

The West's efforts to woo Muslim opinion also succeeded in upsetting one coalition ally. In an article for Iranian newspapers, seeking to win local support, Straw declared: "One of the factors that helps to breed terrorism is the anger many in this region feel at events over the years in Palestine."

That led to furious protests from Israel, which does not recognise Palestine as a state and which regarded Straw's words as condoning acts of terrorism against the Jews.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cancelled a scheduled meeting with Straw on the next leg of the foreign secretary's trip and only reinstated it after a mollifying phone call from UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In the world of geo-politics and coalition-building it is certainly not the case that "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

The coalition builders are being made painfully aware that in the world of modern communications consistency counts. They cannot tailor their words to different audiences. And they are certainly giving no thanks to Berlusconi for his clumsy intervention.