Blair call for new world order

Tony Blair will tomorrow renew his ambitious call for a new world order, with a leading role for Britain, shrugging aside the criticisms that he would be better off dealing with problems back home.

The Prime Minister flies this afternoon from Bangladesh to India on the second stage of his latest and potentially most hazardous diplomatic mission.

He will appeal to both India and Pakistan to cool their conflict, which has brought them to the brink of all-out war. In doing so, though, he runs the risk that one illtimed and violent incident could leave him hopelessly wrong-footed.

The first leg of the Prime Minister's mission, in Bangladesh, fell short of immediate success. Mr Blair sought to recruit a strong Bangladesh contingent to join the international stabilisation force in Afghanistan, a move which would have tied in backing from a significant Muslim power in the region.

However he won only a conditional assurance last night with Bangladesh's prime minister, Khaleda Zia, saying no more than that he would consider the idea in co-operation with the United Nations.

Aides said that in his speech tomorrow Mr Blair will return to the theme of "global interdependence" which he first deployed in a speech in Chicago and at last year's Labour conference.

They said he would warn that violence, whether in the shape of terror attacks on America or conflict in Asia nowadays carries an impact on people, prosperity, jobs and stability across the world. The British side said that Mr Blair was not seeking to overplay the nation's influence but that he would maintain that the UK had a significant role to play in partnership with others.

Mr Blair will hold talks with India's Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee before heading on to meet President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan. Both sides have made conciliatory moves in the last few days, with General Musharraf bearing down on militant groups and India's Premier saying war is not inevitable.

The two leaders were due at an Asia summit today in Kathmandu. But tension remained high following last month's terrorist attack on the Indian parliament in which 14 people, including five gunmen, died.

Earlier today, Mr Blair and wife Cherie visited UK aid projects near Dhaka before heading on to India.