Nato says Europe is failing to support Bush's war on terror

European governments were accused yesterday of failing to take terrorism as seriously as the US and of withholding support for George Bush's "war on terror".

European governments were accused yesterday of failing to take terrorism as seriously as the US and of withholding support for George Bush's "war on terror".

The remarks by the Nato secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, agitated transatlantic tensions. European officials said they were "surprised" by his intervention, which contrasted strongly with recent comments from the EU's counter-terrorism co-ordinator, Gijs de Vries.

Speaking in the US, after becoming the first foreign dignitary to meet the newly re-elected George Bush, Mr de Hoop Scheffer said Europe had not caught up with the American mindset following the devastating terror attacks of 11 September 2001.

Mr de Hoop Scheffer, a former Dutch foreign minister, told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York: "On the European side, there is not enough perception of how serious the threat is. The impact on your society, understandably so, of 9/11 has been much bigger and measures more rigorous, than the impact in Europe of horrible tragedies like the ones in Madrid or Beslan."

Controversially, he added: "In Europe, we still have complicated discussions, be it in the European Union or be it national discussions, of how far governments could go in the relationship with their citizens in the fight against terrorism. I think Europe should catch up here, not the United States." Mr de Hoop Scheffer's spokesman, James Appathurai, said this did not amount to support for counter-terrorism legislation such as the US's Patriot Act.

But Claude Moraes, a Labour MEP and civil liberties campaigner, argued: "As a senior European political figure Mr de Hoop Scheffer ought to know better. Someone at his level should understand that Western democracy means getting the balance between people's freedom and the fight against terrorism."

Mr de Vries declined to comment last night. But, in a speech in the US in September, the EU counter-terrorism co-ordinator revealed his views, arguing the events of 11 September "triggered a strong response in Europe", and led to a "wide range" of counter-terrorism measures.

He also warned against delivering "recruitment propaganda to al-Qa'ida", adding: "Violating the rule of law in the fight against terrorism is not only morally undesirable, but also ineffective in the long run."

In yesterday's comments, Mr de Hoop Scheffer, cited the murder of the film-maker, Theo van Gogh, allegedly by an Islamic extremist, as evidence that terrorism has spread to places once seen as safe. "For me, it's proof that we have to discuss these problems I think more seriously than we have done," he said.

The intervention came as Dutch authorities raided a suspected training camp of the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers Party guerrilla group, in the southern Netherlands and arrested 29 people. The swoop, which followed a year-long investigation, targeted a farm campsite near the village of Liempde, which was apparently being used for preparation of an attack in Turkey.

However the main objective of the Nato secretary general's speech appears to have been to convince a number of reluctant European governments to back the Bush administration's agenda for Nato.

Some EU capitals see the re-election of Mr Bush as an opportunity to forge a more powerful European identity, and last week the French President, Jacques Chirac, argued: "It is evident that Europe, now more than ever, must strengthen its unity and dynamism when faced with this great world power. More than ever, we must reinforce Europe politically and economically."

Mr Appathurai said: "The secretary general believes that the idea of making Europe into a counterweight to the US will never work. Europe will simply split."