Kissinger: allies must act fast

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger warned in London last night that the allied coalition faces a race against time to smash the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.

Calling the 11 September attacks a "wake-up call", the veteran statesman said delays in dismantling the extremist regime in Afghanistan would allow it to become a symbol of rebellion against the US and the West - resulting in disastrous consequences.

Dr Kissinger also said British support for the US has shown the true value of the "special relationshipî.

D e l ivering a lecture to Conservative think-tank the Centre for Policy Studies, Dr Kissinger said: "There cannot be an ambiguous outcome. The Taliban government has to be eliminated and the Bin Laden network has to be unambiguously destroyed. There is a limit within which it has to take place because in time they will become a symbol of the ability to resist the strongest nation and its allies in responding to an outrageous and unprovoked attack on the US. If that impression stands it will have a very dangerous impact on everyone.î

He added: "For the entire postwar period the security of free people everywhere has depended on American willingness to defend them. If the US fails in its response to an attack on its own territory the whole structure in the postwar world will disintegrate."

Applauding Britain's strong support, he said: "I belong to a generation which grew up in the context of a belief in the special relationship between Britain and America. Some had begun not to dismiss it, but to look at it from the perspective of an outdated sentiment.

"But those of us who observed the first actions of the British Government have seen that there is still a very special attitude between the two countries. No other leaders have so identified the experiences of New York and Washington with the attitudes of their own people as has the British Government.î

Dr Kissinger said the 11 September attacks shattered a period of indolence and self-satisfaction. "The US public still doesn't understand why exactly we were attacked and what precisely it is that we are supposed to do, and that has generated an extraordinary sense of divine unity that I have never seen - even after Pearl Harbour - to this emotional extent," he said. He told an audience of journalists, politicians and policy makers that there is now an " extraordinary opportunity" to construct a new world order for the 21st century.

But the first task was to deal with the immediate terrorist threat by confronting those who provide bases and support: "The attack on Afghanistan must be seen as an attack on the most flagrant harbourer of terrorism and against the most symbolic representative of terrorism in the form of Bin Laden.î

Dr Kissinger warned the allies to limit the aims of the Afghan campaign saying: "I don't believe the US military forces have a primary role to play in nation building in Afghanistan. The pacification of Afghanistan is something which has eluded all of the countries that have attempted it." He said the UN and other bodies should lead that effort.

In the longer term, he said, the war on terrorism could alter the geopolitical map, allowing a fresh approach to issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.

The thaw in relations with Russia and China could allow new alliances to be struck which would result in global agreements on issues such as missile defence and the environment. Recalling the approach of President Truman, he said: "We have got to defeat our enemies and then we will be able to create a community of nations."

The lecture took place at the Institute of Directors in Pall Mall amid tight security. A handful of protesters picketed outside.