Straw, EU leaders meet Mubarak

Mubarak, right, held talks with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw

CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Two separate European delegations are meeting Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, seen as a pivotal player in Arab circles as the West seeks to build an anti-terrorist coalition.

An European Union team of Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten arrived in Cairo on Thursday from Riyadh.

Earlier President Mubarak met British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw who arrived from a meeting in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The meetings with Mubarak came as U.S. and European hopes of widespread support in Islamic countries for an anti-terrorist drive dimmed.

After Straw and the EU leaders visited Tehran, Iran's leading spiritual figure Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lambasted the U.S. for what he called its "arrogance" and "bullying" in the crisis over terrorism and said Iran was neither with America nor the terrorists.

In a press conference with Straw in Cairo on Wednesday, Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa said Arab countries would not join in U.S.-led military action.

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He said Arab nations were not ready to take part as they feared any military campaign would result in the loss of "a lot of innocent victims."

Mubarak is seen as a key figure in swaying the opinion of Islamic leaders as well as a crucial player in the Middle East peace process.

But the Associated Press said he had been reported as saying that any U.S. retaliation that killed innocent people would fuel greater hatred of the U.S. and participating allies.

There was a boost for the West on Wednesday when, saying it is "a duty" to fight terrorism, Saudi Arabia agreed to join a U.S.-led anti-terrorist coalition.

The Saudis made their commitment after the EU delegation met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah.

"It is the duty of all of us to stand against the perpetrators of those abhorrent acts ... in the United States," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters.

The EU delegation have been seeking to impress upon Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations that the battle against terror is not a fight against Islam or the Arab world.

Javier Solana, EU international policy chief, has said the EU is seeking instead to engender a cooperative relationship with the Muslim world, particularly to share intelligence.

Saudi leaders were quick to commend on Wednesday the new spirit of cooperation the coalition represents in response to the suicide attacks in New York and Washington.

"This calls for a new perception of cooperation within the international community, a perception that allows us to work together, Muslims and Christians ... in the fight against this scourge," Faisal said.

Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with Afghanistan on Tuesday, saying the Taliban regime had ignored the kingdom's warnings that they should stop harboring "criminals and terrorists."

On Wednesday Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, speaking after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington, reiterated Egypt's commitment to the coalition.

Khamenei accused the U.S. of being "arrogant"

"We have suffered from terrorism, and it is only normal that we should join any attempt to get rid of this scourge from which the world has suffered. And we believe that the United States, as the government of a country that believes in law and justice, will act on the basis of a good case against the culprits who committed this horrible crime," Maher said.

Earlier in the week, EU delegates met with Iran's President Mohammed Khatami, who turned down the opportunity to join the coalition.

Khatami had tried to build his own consensus with Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt to garner support for a United Nations-led campaign against terrorism.

Iran had condemned the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, raising hopes among some in the international community that Tehran might take part in a U.S.-led anti-terror coalition despite more than 20 years of hostility.

Straw also visited Tehran -- the first high-ranking British official to visit Tehran since 1979 -- in an effort to bring Iran on board.

But Khamenei's statement on Wednesday dashed hopes of Iranian participation. Khamenei, who is a hardliner and final arbiter on issues facing Iran, accused the U.S. of plotting to increase its military presence in the region, and to "deal with those who have supported the people of Palestine in their struggle against Israel."

One of the stumbling blocks between Iran and the West is the divide between the two sides over the definition of terrorism.

Iran regards organizations on the West Bank and southern Lebanon, fighting what they call Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, as national liberation movements, while the EU regards them as terrorist groups.

The EU delegation is also to visit Syria and Jordan.