TONY Blair is absolutely right to pay tribute to the work of the British and American troops in Iraq.

They are putting their lives at risk to help the local people and build a stable and secure future.

However, this is not the perception of many people in the Arab world, particularly those sympathetic to the cause of the insurgents in Iraq.

And it is certainly not the perception given by the most recent images of brutality and abuse inflicted on Iraqi prisoners by members of the US armed forces.

For all President Bush's attempts to apologise for the torture, and for all Mr Blair's attempts to emphasise the good work done by the vast majority of troops, few people in the Middle East believe these are isolated incidents.

The damage done by the tiny minority of the occupying armies cannot be exaggerated. After all, one of the justifications for invading Iraq and overthrowing Saddam Hussein was to stop that kind of thing, not to do it ourselves.

Allegations of torture encourage terrorist recruits to come forward and undermine efforts to establish a new democratic government.

The only response available to President Bush and Mr Blair is to condemn these outrages without equivocation.

Those accused of violations must be brought to justice, and those found guilty must be punished promptly and severely.

That is the only hope for the Prime Minister and President to restore confidence in their occupying forces.

But further revelations of torture and brutality may place an unbearable strain on the credibility of their policy in Iraq.