Europe lobbies Mideast leaders

Straw: Appeal to join the 'war on terror'

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Europe is beginning a diplomatic mission to the Middle East aimed at cementing support for the U.S.-declared war on terrorism.

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw begins a whistle-stop tour of the region with a visit to Jordan before a historic appointment in Iran -- which is itself on a U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism.

A European Union delegation is also heading for the Middle East taking in five predominantly Muslim nations.

In Tehran, baton-wielding police broke up a demonstration outside the British Embassy in Tehran on Monday, Reuters news agency reported.

Eyewitnesses told the agency about 50 people were arrested and that scuffles broke out as police dragged protesters chanting "Death to America, death to Britain" away from the embassy and onto waiting buses.

AUDIO CNN European Political Editor Robin Oakley discusses Straw's trip to Iran and Europe's role in any retaliation 2.71MB / 4:13min WAV sound   MORE STORIES Iran treads fine line on terrorism   Iran presses for U.N. lead      CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

Straw will fly from Jordan to Tehran on Monday, becoming the highest-ranking British minister to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

While in Jordan he was due to meet King Abdullah and expected to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Iran, which has a history of animosity with the U.S., has condemned the terror attacks, which left an estimated 7,000 people missing and feared dead.

Tehran has said U.S. planes will not be allowed to use its airspace to attack neighbouring Afghanistan, but Washington hopes the European diplomatic efforts will secure Iranian acceptance of any retaliatory strikes.

Iran's President Mohammad Khatami has contacted the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria to drum up support for his position that the U.N. should lead any worldwide fight against terrorism.

Khatami told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that greater international coordination was needed to ensure that "in the name of fighting terrorism we do not create another human catastrophe," state-run Tehran Radio reported.

The broadcast said Syrian President Bashir al Assad said the unilateral action of one power could lead to dire consequences.

As Straw prepared to fly out of the UK from a military airfield near London, he told the UK Press Association news agency: "So many nations where the population are of the Muslim faith have suffered grievously (because of the Taliban).

"The most important thing Iran contributes is that by their stand against the Taliban they are demonstrating very vocally that this is not a fight against Islam or the Muslim faith."

The EU team, led by Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, will also go to Pakistan, a neighbour of Afghanistan which will be crucial to any military operation on Afghanistan soil, where suspected hijack attack mastermind Osama bin Laden is believed to be in hiding.

One EU diplomat told Reuters news agency the tour of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Pakistan was a "coalition-building trip."

Khatami: Wantsa U.N. involvement

The EU has already committed itself to the "broadest possible global coalition against terrorism" and declared the U.S. has a right to hit back at those responsible for the hijack attacks.

Michel's team, which includes foreign policy chief Javier Solana and external relations commissioner Chris Patten, is expected to travel to Tehran on Tuesday.

Experts say there can be only limited hope for European diplomatic efforts in Iran.

"Iranian leaders are going to be very cautious in the weeks to come. They want to give what support they can to the West -- they would like the Taliban to be taken down a peg or two -- but they are going to be very cautious about becoming a fully fledged member of a coalition, particularly one which includes Israel," says Middle East expert Colin Ballaclough.

Iran's leaders oppose the Taliban for religious and strategic reasons. But they also want to show support for fellow Muslims and fear that war could bring a vast influx of refugees. They're facing a big choice, which could have repercussions inside the country as well as across the region.

"What we've had over the past three years is a struggle between reformists -- we call them moderates -- people who want to change the regime to something more open and democratic and more aligned to the body of world opinion -- and hardliners on the right, most of them in the judiciary and the security services, who are completely opposed to these measures," says Ballaclough.

"The two factions will be fighting it out in the coming weeks in Iran."