Posted on 26th November 2001

The Dis-United Kingdom
From The Scotsman*

Relations between Britain and the US fell to their lowest point since the
11 September attacks yesterday after Clare Short broke ranks to criticise
heavily the American commitment to the humanitarian relief work in
Afghanistan.

In a series of stinging observations, Ms Short, the International
Development Secretary, claimed the US military was hampering aid effort in
the war-torn country and rebuked the US government for its parsimonious
contribution to the alleviation of global poverty. Her remarks follow
reports of a breakdown in US-UK relations over the conduct of the military
campaign since the rapid collapse of the Taleban last week. Although
Downing Street dismissed reports of a rift between Mr Blair and President
Bush as "baseless" there is concern that while London is keen to see a
large-scale international peacekeeping force established in Afghanistan,
Washington is apprehensive about the consequences of committing troops for
the drawn-out process of "nation building".

Ms Short's evidence to the Commons International Development Select
Committee appeared to confirm there were significant differences between
the two coalition partners about "phase three" of the war against
terrorism. She said it was a "paradox" that a country which prided itself
on its generosity and was made up of people from all parts of the world
gave only 0.1 per cent of its GDP in international aid - compared to
Britain's 0.3 per cent and the United Nations' target of 0.7 per cent. "The
only great power in the world almost turns its back on the rest of the
world. "It is not that the US is ungenerous. It is just that it is not
sharing the insight other countries have got and it is very important we
try to get them there," she said. She added: "The suicide bombers of 11
September appeared not to come from poor countries, they came from Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but the conditions which bred their
bitterness and hatred are linked to poverty and injustice, there is no
doubt. "It is not something that excuses 11 September, but it is part of
the breeding ground for 11 September."

Ms Short later widened her criticism of the White House saying that the US
military's inefficiencies were hindering aid agencies working on the
ground. "We really need security to do the humanitarian job. We don't need
the military to do the humanitarian job, but to do what they do best, which
is to provide the security, so humanitarian workers can operate," she said.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman appeared to agree with Ms Short,
admitting that there was "a lot more" that could be done to help the
humanitarian project.


* Jason Beattie, Wednesday, 21st November 2001, The Scotsman,
http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/text_only.cfm?id=124092