THE United States, Europe and Asia must be united in the fight against terror because a lack of consensus among them will only end up helping the terrorists, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said yesterday.
And the terrorists themselves know this, he warned.
'They know that a combination of America, Europe and Asia will be formidable. Hence I believe they would give priority to splitting the US from its European and Asian allies,' he told delegates at the opening of the annual Asia Security Conference.
Also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, it is organised by London-based think-tank International Institute of Strategic Studies.
Mr Goh also highlighted three potential flashpoints in Asia that could directly affect the war against terror.
First, an India-Pakistan conflict over Kashmir could lead to the region becoming 'fertile ground for breeding terrorists'.
North Korea is another trouble spot - and terrorists could exploit the situation there to acquire materials for banned weapons.
But 'the dangers of miscalculation are highest over Taiwan', he warned. If Taiwan pushes too hard for independence, the result will be war. 'The consequences of such a war will make Iraq seem a small problem,' he said.
And the likelihood of the US being drawn into a cross-strait conflict is there if it sends the wrong signals.
Noting that US-China relations form the foundation of East Asian stability and growth, he said: 'If there is permanent enmity between China and the US, not only will East Asian growth be set back but the entire region will be dragged down. Only the terrorists will benefit.'
Mr Goh began his speech by noting that following the end of the Cold War, the war against terrorism has now come to define the world's geopolitics.
He believes the fight against terror will last as many decades as the Cold War, which began after World War II and ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
But there is still 'no overarching strategic consensus on the threat of terrorism and the means to combat it'.
It is precisely this lack of unity that the terrorists hope to exploit, Mr Goh warned.
They will try to isolate the US by breaking its transatlantic partnership with Europe.
And while South-east Asian governments 'know the stakes' in the fight against terror, North-east Asia is less aware, he noted.
But Japan, South Korea and China will 'sooner or later have to confront the threat of a terrorist attack on international waterways in South-east Asia'.
Asia, however, has a clearer appreciation than Europe of the vital role the US plays in global security and that the fundamental issue in Iraq is the credibility and resolve of the US, said Mr Goh.
To defeat terrorism, the US must stay the course in Iraq. But it cannot go it alone. 'Europe and the US must set aside pre-war recriminations, go beyond saying 'I told you so', work together with the United Nations to stabilise Iraq,' he added.
Around 200 delegates, including defence ministers, military officials and experts from the Asia-Pacific, are attending the three-day conference at the Shangri-La Hotel.
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who arrived here on Thursday night, is due to speak today on the US strategy for security in the Asia-Pacific region.
Yesterday, he called on Mr Goh and Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He also met US forces aboard the USS Essex, a helicopter carrier, at the Changi Naval Base.
