Hearts, minds neglected on terrorism - UK's Brown

LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) British finance minister Gordon Brown, expected to succeed Tony Blair as prime minister this year, said today he believed the battle for hearts and minds had been neglected in the fight against terrorism.

His comments came just a day after Blair strongly defended military intervention in the struggle against militant Islam.

''If you take security, which is a huge issue now, I actually think what's been undervalued is the importance of winning hearts and minds,'' Brown said.

''You will not solve the security issues we face, particularly in relation to terrorism, simply by military, policing, intelligence and security action, important as these are,'' he told the Fabian Society, a left-leaning think-tank.

Brown -- increasingly looking like a certainty to fulfil his long ambition to take over from Blair -- called again for a new style of politics as he set out his stall as leader.

Political analysts say Brown is seeking to distance himself from some of Blair's more unpopular policies and will be keen to draw a line under Iraq, which depleted Blair's popularity ratings and eroded support for the Labour Party.

Blair, in power since 1997, yesterday defended Britain's involvement in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and said British troops must remain ''warfighters'' as well as peacekeepers.

Resolving the security situation in Iraq and withdrawing British troops is expected to remain a headache for Brown when he takes over. Blair is expected to step down by July.

Brown also said that Africa was a frontline in the fight against terrorism and that bringing Africans out of poverty would be a top priority for his leadership: ''Africa is a strategic as well as moral issue for us,'' he said.

Africa had more al Qaeda cells than any part of the world, was a major issue in terms of immigration and was at the centre of the climate change agenda, he said.

Brown called Africa ''a stain on the soul of the world'', echoing a similar phrase used by Blair who called the continent a scar on the world's conscience, and said bringing education to all children in Africa and the rest of the world was essential.

Brown also defended the union of England and Scotland, which celebrates its 300th anniversary this year, and attacked an ''opportunist group of nationalists'' that was playing ''fast and loose'' with the union and trying to split the United Kingdom.

His political opponents accused him of self-interest, saying he was trying to stress his British credentials out of concern his Scottish nationality would lose him English support.

Brown said Britishness was not based on ethnicity or race.

''It is founded on shared values that we hold in common: a commitment to liberty for all, a commitment to social responsibility shown by all, and a commitment to fairness to all,'' he added.

REUTERS AB BD2244