A possible war with Iraq does not herald a clash of cultures between Islam and the West, the foreign secretary has said.

In a bid to address concerns in the Muslim world over the position adopted by America and Britain, Jack Straw said that Saddam Hussein's attempts to acquire weapons of mass destruction were not just a threat to Europe and the US.

"The consequences of a failure of nerve to deal with the threat by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction are potentially devastating for Muslims and non-Muslims alike," he said.

Speaking during a visit to Indonesia, which hit the headlines after the terrorist bombing in Bali, Straw pledged that a war on Iraq would not be a war on Islam.

He accepted there were "concerns" about a possible war, both in Britain and Indonesia, but argued that this should not prevent governments from seeking to deal with Saddam Hussein.

"If he continues to get away with it, other would-be proliferators will take heart and the world will become a far more dangerous place."

But continuing his tour of south east Asia, the foreign secretary also said there were other issues that needed to be addressed.

"If we are to establish a fitting memorial to the victims of the Bali tragedy and strengthen global security we will have to do more than simply mete out justice to the terrorists.

"We will have to tackle the mistrust and misapprehensions which bedevil relations between the West and the Islamic world and which in turn allow the terrorists to secure new recruits for their twisted cause.

"The promotion of peace and reconciliation between all faiths must therefore become an objective of politicians and religious leaders alike."