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| Tony Blair: 'West should focus on radical Islam' | Tony Blair: 'West should focus on radical Islam' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Tony Blair will warn Western leaders they must put aside their differences with Russia over Ukraine to focus on the threat of Islamic extremism. | Tony Blair will warn Western leaders they must put aside their differences with Russia over Ukraine to focus on the threat of Islamic extremism. |
| In a speech later, the former UK prime minister will say the threat of radical Islam is "spreading across the world". | In a speech later, the former UK prime minister will say the threat of radical Islam is "spreading across the world". |
| And Mr Blair - Middle East envoy for the quartet of the UN, EU, US and Russia - will say powerful nations seem "curiously reluctant" to face it. | And Mr Blair - Middle East envoy for the quartet of the UN, EU, US and Russia - will say powerful nations seem "curiously reluctant" to face it. |
| He will say the West must "take sides" by supporting "open-minded" groups. | He will say the West must "take sides" by supporting "open-minded" groups. |
| Speaking to the BBC ahead of his speech at Bloomberg in London later, Mr Blair said the West had a "responsibility but also an interest" in making sure the "huge struggle" taking place in many countries was "resolved in the right way". | Speaking to the BBC ahead of his speech at Bloomberg in London later, Mr Blair said the West had a "responsibility but also an interest" in making sure the "huge struggle" taking place in many countries was "resolved in the right way". |
| "However much people may think we can just push it to one side and forget about it, I think that would be a mistake," he said. | "However much people may think we can just push it to one side and forget about it, I think that would be a mistake," he said. |
| His speech comes amid high tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine. | His speech comes amid high tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine. |
| Western leaders accuse Russia of using undercover military personnel to back separatists in eastern Ukraine - a claim Russia denies. | |
| Mr Blair will say Western leaders must co-operate with other countries - "in particular, Russia and China" - regardless of "other differences". | Mr Blair will say Western leaders must co-operate with other countries - "in particular, Russia and China" - regardless of "other differences". |
| 'Co-existence or conflict' | 'Co-existence or conflict' |
| He will say the threat posed by a radical view which "distorts and warps Islam's true message" is "growing". | He will say the threat posed by a radical view which "distorts and warps Islam's true message" is "growing". |
| "It is spreading across the world," he will say. | "It is spreading across the world," he will say. |
| "It is destabilising communities and even nations. It is undermining the possibility of peaceful co-existence in an era of globalisation. | "It is destabilising communities and even nations. It is undermining the possibility of peaceful co-existence in an era of globalisation. |
| "And in the face of this threat we seem curiously reluctant to acknowledge it and powerless to counter it effectively." | "And in the face of this threat we seem curiously reluctant to acknowledge it and powerless to counter it effectively." |
| He will call on leaders to consider the "absurdity" of spending billions of dollars on security against an ideology which is being "advocated" in schools and institutions of "countries with whom we have intimate security and defence relationships". | He will call on leaders to consider the "absurdity" of spending billions of dollars on security against an ideology which is being "advocated" in schools and institutions of "countries with whom we have intimate security and defence relationships". |
| "Some of those countries of course wish to escape from the grip of this ideology, but often it is hard for them to do so within their own political constraints," he will add. | "Some of those countries of course wish to escape from the grip of this ideology, but often it is hard for them to do so within their own political constraints," he will add. |
| "This struggle between what we may call the open-minded and the closed-minded is at the heart of whether the 21st Century turns in the direction of peaceful co-existence or conflict between people of different cultures." | "This struggle between what we may call the open-minded and the closed-minded is at the heart of whether the 21st Century turns in the direction of peaceful co-existence or conflict between people of different cultures." |
| Mr Blair will repeat his support for the coup which overthrew Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi last year, and urge the West to "take sides" in places like the Middle East, Pakistan and Iran. | Mr Blair will repeat his support for the coup which overthrew Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi last year, and urge the West to "take sides" in places like the Middle East, Pakistan and Iran. |
| "Above all, we have to commit. We have to engage," he will say. | "Above all, we have to commit. We have to engage," he will say. |