Blair hardens public against Bin Laden

Blair has kept the public on side

		By Nick Assinder BBC News Online political correspondent

In releasing a dossier of evidence, Tony Blair has taken another unprecedented step in his campaign to prepare the public for military strikes against Osama Bin Laden and the Taleban.

The 20-page document setting out details of why he is convinced Bin Laden is responsible for the 11 September atrocity may not be evidence which would stand up in the courts.

Indeed the document carries the warning that it "does not purport to provide a prosecutable case against Osama Bin Laden in a court of law".

But it continues: "On the basis of all the information available, HMG is confident of its conclusions as expressed in this document."

Blair wants to be as open as possible

Those conclusions amount to the simple claim that Bin Laden, aided and abetted by the Taleban, was responsible for the 11 September attacks - and that he would commit further atrocities if he could.

Mr Blair is determined to keep the public on side and believes that by taking the unprecedented step of releasing the dossier - no government has ever done such a thing before - he will be seen to be acting in the most transparent and open way possible.

And it is absolutely clear the prime minister believes the public will see the document as proof enough of the guilt of both Bin Laden and, by association, the Taleban regime in Afghanistan.

That will have put yet another, maybe crucial, brick into the wall of opinion massing behind the looming military action.

Circumstantial evidence

The document itself keeps back much of the concrete evidence supposed to exist, claiming that might compromise intelligence sources, and it remains essentially a list of historical and circumstantial evidence.

But both Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith and the Liberal Democrat's Charles Kennedy have been given more detailed briefings and agree with the prime minister about Bin Laden's guilt.

Duncan Smith has given full support

And it is likely the detailed nature of the document will be enough to keep public opinion firmly on the prime minister's side.

His recent, frantic bouts of shuttle diplomacy around Europe and the US were designed to cement the global coalition and prepare the ground for military action.

That process has continued with his tough-talking speech to parliament during its second emergency debate on the crisis.

And it will then be extended further as he meets Russian premier Vladimir Putin and other leaders later in the week.

Along with President George Bush, he has managed to win unprecedented support for action against the terrorists.

In Britain he has the full backing of opposition leaders and was again given the support of Mr Duncan Smith during the Commons debate.

The Tory leader wanted the prime minister to go further and target Iraq as well, but he was unflinching in his support for action against Bin Laden.

Handled with skill

Meanwhile Foreign Secretary Jack Straw insisted the government's objective was not to remove the Taleban from power.

But he echoed the prime minister's previous words that, if the regime continued to harbour terrorists, it would be treated as an enemy.

Once again there was little dissent in the Commons with just a few voices urging caution and fearing the consequences of retaliation.

But, so far, the prime minister appears to have handled this crisis with skill and, by helping forge the global coalition and keeping the public overwhelmingly on side, he will feel his hand against Bin Laden has been significantly strengthened.