Blair - Action in Afghanistan should be 'proportionate'

Associated Press WriterISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair declared Friday that last month's terrorist attacks in the United States were a crime against humanity and that any military response would be proportionate, targeted and "not directed against the Afghan people."

Blair spoke during an in-and-out visit to Pakistan to show support for President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who has backed the U.S.-led campaign against terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden despite opposition from his country's Islamic parties.

Bin Laden lives in neighboring Afghanistan under the protection of the ruling Taliban militia, with whom Pakistan had maintained close ties for years.

Blair said he came to thank Pakistan for its stand and to make clear that any punitive action would not be directed against the Islamic world.

"The 11th of September was an outrage against the civilized values of all peoples of all faiths in the world," Blair said. "This was not a crime against the West. It was a crime against humanity."

Blair also repeated that attacks would not be directed against the Afghan people, who are suffering from the effects of more than a generation of conflict.

"What is important is that any action we take is proportionate, is targeted and is not directed against the Afghan people, who are not our enemy," Blair said.

Blair called the evidence against bin Laden "overwhelming and compelling." He called Musharraf's support "vital" -- especially given Pakistan proximity to Afghanistan.

"Pakistan has made the right choice," the prime minister said, Musharraf at his side.

En route to Pakistan from Russia, Blair told reporters that the visit was "part of making sure that around Afghanistan we have all the people supporting us."

Blair said he wanted to show that Pakistan's support would not go unnoticed after years of political isolation due to its 1998 nuclear test and Musharraf's military coup the following year.

Blair announced resumption of military cooperation, which was suspended after the coup. He also said any new government in Afghanistan "would have to take into account the interests of Pakistan."

The prime minister was to leave later for India.

On Thursday, Pakistan became the first Muslim country to say that U.S. evidence connects bin Laden to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The United States also suspects bin Laden, a Saudi exile, was behind the 1998 embassy bombings in East Africa and an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen last year.

The Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef, accused Blair of coming here "to encourage war." However, Zaeef avoided any criticism of Pakistan, the only country which recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

Meanwhile Friday, fresh video footage surfaced showing bin Laden near dry, rugged mountains, somberly watching followers and flanked by his top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahri, and other aides.

The images were broadcast on Qatar's Al-Jazeera television, often one of the first sources of material from bin Laden. The station said it believed the scene showed a celebration of the union of his al-Qaida terrorist network and al-Zawahri's Egyptian Jihad group. Bin Laden made no statement, and it was unclear when the images were taken.

Blair and other Western leaders are seeking to marshal support among Muslims for action against bin Laden. Many Muslim governments which supported the 1991 Gulf War are less enthusiastic about confronting bin Laden and his al-Qaida terror network.

Inside Afghanistan, meanwhile, there were signs the Taliban were trying to bolster support. Regime officials have been meeting with local leaders across the country to drum up backing, especially among influential tribal figures.

During a meeting in eastern Khost province, Taliban officials threatened to burn the homes of anyone supporting former king Mohammad Zaher Shah, Taliban radio said Thursday night. The exiled monarch has been meeting in Rome with opposition leaders to discuss ways to set up a new government if the Taliban fall.

From London, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw sent words of support to Afghans Friday in a message broadcast in Pashtu and other regional languages by the British Broadcasting Corp.'s World Service.

"We have no quarrel with the people of Afghanistan," Straw said in the broadcast, according to the British Foreign Office. "The Taliban regime harms Afghanistan and its people by protecting Osama bin Laden and his colleagues from justice."