Blair says China backs worldwide terrorism clampdown

Tony Blair

BEIJING - Tony Blair secured backing yesterday from China for a UN security council resolution outlawing incitement to terrorist acts across the world.

The intention is to clamp down on extremist Islamist preachers in areas known for producing terrorists, such as Pakistan.

The Prime Minister intends to use the UN security council meeting next week in New York to persuade the world's leading nations to adopt the controversial anti-terrorist measures that are being driven through at home to ban Muslim extremists from inciting followers to martyr themselves as suicide bombers.

"We are going to table a new security council resolution on incitement," said a senior British source.

"The Chinese are absolutely on board. We think we will get it through."

Some of the measures being driven through Parliament were attacked by civil rights groups.

Intelligence experts believe proscribing named Islamic groups could drive the terrorists underground. But British sources said they believed it would increase the worldwide pressure on the terrorist global networks if the UN acted together.

Mr Blair reached agreement in private talks with the Chinese Premier Wen Jaibao.

He told students on a television chat show: "We have to take proper security measures and one of the things that I was discussing with Premier Wen is how we co-operate on counter terrorism. At the UN next week, we will be talking about counter terrorism measures.

"I don't think we can do this just by security measures. We also have to take on their ideas and say why it is wrong and try to persuade young Muslim people why to behave in this way is wrong."

Mr Blair said that the UN also had to tackle issues such as the Middle East and the Palestinian question that was spreading "poison".

The Government will also renew its assault on international terrorism in Strasbourg today. Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, will use a major speech to the European Parliament to signal that the EU is doing too little to combat the threat from international terrorism organised crime, and illegal immigration.

He signalled his determination to clash with senior judges, declaring that they should respect new international deals being drawn up to secure the deportation of terror suspects.

Mr Clarke urged the British and international courts to re-examine the way they interpret the European Convention on Human Rights.

He said: "I'm saying that we now live in a climate where it is necessary to examine with great carefulness how jurisprudence has evolved and how judgements have been made."

He added: "It's very important when we consider how to protect ourselves against those who seek to threaten us that we think the ECHR was passed at a time when there were different considerations arising about the way things operated. Mr Clarke will tell MEPs that the European Union has made great achievements.

But he will say: "Despite this fantastic record, many of our citizens remain highly sceptical about the European Union, to such an extent that in some countries the national referenda rejected the proposed new constitution in a way which suggested more deep-seated concerns.

"I believe that a deep reason for these doubts is that the European Union does not appear to give sufficient priority to offering practical solutions which make a difference to some of the issues of greatest concern.

"I refer specifically to serious and organised crime, including drug-dealing and people trafficking; to illegal migration and false seeking of asylum; and to countering terrorism whatever its origins. These issues top the political agenda."

- INDEPENDENT