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UK losing patience with US

British ministers privately expressed frustration on Thursday with the US prosecution of the war against terrorism, the first sign of serious differences between London and Washington since the attacks on Sept. 11.

Although Prime Minister Tony Blair saw his trip to Washington this week as an opportunity to cement Britain's position as the No. 1 ally of the US, unease is growing in London.

There is concern on both the military and diplomatic fronts over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the bombing strategy, perceived lack of US consultation with its allies and insufficient US focus on the humanitarian crisis.

The British government is also intent on opposing the expansion of the war beyond Afghanistan and is horrified at elements within the Pentagon pushing for an all-out assault on Iraq.

The handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the main source of dispute, with London worried that dithering in Washington in its handling of the peace process risks alienating Arab opinion, which is seen as crucial in the coalition against terrorism.

Blair pressed US President George W. Bush in Washington on Wednesday to apply pressure on Israel to return to peace talks.

But Blair suffered a rebuff on Thursday when it emerged that US Secretary of State Colin Powell will not be making a speech at the UN General Assembly this weekend in support of the creation of a Palestinian state.

The speech had been flagged as a historic shift in US policy towards Israel, representing a significant move toward the Palestinian position. It has been expected for two months.

On Wednesday, as Blair was on his way to Washington, London was briefed that Powell was poised to take a firm line with Israel.

One British minister said that the content of Powell's speech was not in doubt, just the timing. The minister said the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had acted abominably in recent weeks.

There is also rising anxiety within Whitehall that after Afghanistan the Bush administration may turn its sights on Iraq. Bush said on Wednesday that the bombing of Afghanistan was just the start of the war on terrorism.

One British minister said that bombing Iraq would be catastrophic because women and children would be killed and the consequences for the US and Britain in the Arab world would be unimaginably dangerous.

He warned that US and British embassies in the Arab world would have to close and British civilians would have to be advised to leave the area. He feared that moderate Arab regimes would be swept away.
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