IT is clear that there is a campaign against the West being waged by international terrorists.

The suicide bombings in Casablanca, in which 41 people lost their lives, do not constitute an isolated incident.

They fall into a pattern of atrocities which began with the September 11 attacks in the United States.

They mirror last year's bombings in Bali and Mombasa, and the suicide attack in Saudi Arabia last week.

All were aimed at 'soft' Western targets which are largely unguarded.

There is a need for the utmost vigilance across the world, and a need for the security authorities to co-ordinate efforts to minimise the risk of further attacks and bring the terrorists to justice.

Alongside the counter-terrorism measures, however, there must be a concerted effort by the West to tackle the political grievances which are creating this new wave of fanatical terrorism.

In Iraq, there must be a swift and genuine transition to self-determination. The West - in the shape of the US and Britain - must clearly demonstrate to the Arab world that military action was undertaken to liberate, and not to occupy.

The violent unrest in Israeli-Palestinian relations remains the most pressing problem.

It is now several weeks since George Bush and Tony Blair spoke of their road map to peace in the Middle East.

For too long any chance of progress has been halted by the tit-for-tat cycle of violence in the region.

The road to peace will not be easy. It is difficult to enter peace negotiations while dreadful events like yesterday's suicide bombing of a bus in Jerusalem take place.

But if the leaders of Israel and Palestine are unable to summon the courage to endeavour to create a lasting settlement, then the onus is on President Bush and Mr Blair to put pressure on them to do so.

Peace in the Middle East will not lead to an end to the terrorist attacks such as those in Morocco at the weekend.

But it will remove a long-running grievance which is the principal cause of anti-West sentiment across the globe.