Any action against Afghanistan should be proportionate and targeted - Blair
( 2001-10-06 11:22 ) (7 )

British Prime Minister Tony Blair declared on Friday that any military action against Afghanistan should be proportionate, targeted and "not directed against the Afghan people, who are not our enemy."

He also said the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States were a crime against humanity, and that Pakistan's decision to back US-led efforts to combat terrorism would lead to improved relations with the rest of the world. Blair said he was convinced Osama bin Laden was behind the attacks.

"The 11th of September was an outrage against the civilized values of all peoples of all faiths in the world," Blair told reporters after talks with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. "This was not a crime against the West. It was a crime against humanity."

Blair praised Musharraf's decision to back the US-led campaign against bin Laden and the Taliban, the ruling Afghan militia that shelters him.

"I believe that Pakistan has made the right choice," said Blair, who arrived in Pakistan on Friday. "The result will be a significant and lasting strengthening of the outside world's relations with Pakistan."

Musharraf condemned "this human tragedy" and agreed that there was evidence bin Laden was behind it.

He expressed gratitude to Blair "for his understanding of the problems being confronted by Pakistan and my government," referring to opposition to the US campaign by this country's Islamic parties.

"Pakistan certainly looks forward to much healthier, much closer, much better relations with the United Kingdom in the future," he said.

Later Friday, Blair arrived in the Indian capital, New Delhi. Blair was to meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday to discuss international cooperation to combat terrorism and development in the region.

India, home to the world's second-largest Muslim population, has thrown its support behind the American anti-terrorism drive. At least 250 Indians died in New York when hijackers slammed a jetliner into the World Trade Center towers.

Britain and the United States are treading on sensitive diplomatic ground with India and Pakistan. The two neighbors are bitter enemies, but both are badly needed by the West for the anti-terrorism campaign in nearby Afghanistan.