Blair embarks on shuttle diplomacy

Blair will travel to the U.S., France, Germany and Belgium in 72 hours

LONDON, England -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair says the coalition against international terrorism is growing as the full effects of the U.S. terror attacks become clear.

Speaking on Wednesday, Blair, who is due to embark on 72 hours of shuttle diplomacy, during which he will criss-cross the Atlantic and Europe, said he wanted to "set an agenda" for international forces to crush the terror network behind the attacks.

"The most important thing is to demonstrate that the coalition against international terrorism not merely has support, but that support is growing," he said.

"That it encompasses nations in all continents, including Arab nations ... that it has support from people of all faiths, and support from people of all democratic political persuasions."

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Blair, who held talks on Wednesday with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, said he and the Irish leader shared a "determination both to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice and that we set an agenda for the international community to attack the apparatus of mass international terrorism at every single level we can."

He added that the attackers are not government by any sense of morality.

"The limits (on them) are merely technical and practical. And therefore what we have got to do is to remove their ability to operate practically and technically," he said.

Blair has been at the forefront of international support for U.S. President George W. Bush's war against terrorism.

To help shore up the coalition, Blair was travelling on Wednesday to Germany, for talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, and then to France for a breakfast meeting with President Jacques Chirac on Thursday.

He will then leave France for New York, where he will attend a memorial service for British victims.

He will meet Bush in Washington DC before heading to Brussels for special summit of EU leaders on Friday.

On Wednesday, Britain advised its nationals in Pakistan to leave unless it is necessary for them to stay.

Fearing that any U.S. action in Afghanistan will trigger tension in neighbouring Pakistan, Foreign Office officials in London said the region should be avoided.

It warned people not to travel to Pakistan until further notice and said it was withdrawing "non-essential" consular and embassy staff.

A FO spokesman said: "In view of the security situation, travel to Pakistan should, until further notice, be avoided, unless there are compelling reasons for it.

Chancellor Gordon Brown is calling for international action to cut terror groups' funds

"British nationals now in Pakistan will wish to consider whether it is necessary for them to stay.

"Those still in the North West Frontier Province, Baluchistan and the northern areas are strongly advised to leave."

It was also announced on Wednesday that the European Union and G7 nations are proposing to pressure Switzerland and other countries to relax their codes of banking secrecy in order to allow the tracking of terrorist money.

EU governments are expected to agree a common line on the issue at a meeting in Belgium, UK Chancellor Gordon Brown said.

Calling for international action to cut off supply of funds for terror groups and their members, Brown said: "We closed down a particular bank account in Britain yesterday but there are countries around the world that are not taking this kind of action and we must make sure the weakest links are dealt with as well.

"We want joint action to cut off the supply of funds to terrorists. They are being financed somewhere and get their money through bank accounts which we can stop."

The closed account, which Brown confirmed was in a Barclays Bank branch in Notting Hill, west London, "hadn't been used for some time," he said.

He gave no details on who controlled the account.

Brown indicated that Britain would be pressing Switzerland and other countries to join in international cooperation on tracking terrorists' money.

The issue is to be discussed in Brussels by European Union ministers this weekend, he said.

He said: "Switzerland must take the action that is required, and we are determined that other countries that traditionally have valued banking secrecy must also accept that where the balance between liberty and security is important, they must have institutions prepared to report uspicious transactions involving what may be terrorist activities."