BASHAR ASSAD, the Syrian President, arrived in London last night at the start of an historic but controversial visit that is seen as a big political gamble by Tony Blair.

Even before the Syrian leader, the first to visit Britain, and his London-born wife stepped off the plane, Israeli politicians had condemned his trip and Jewish groups were planning demonstrations against his support for militant groups that use suicide bombings against Israeli civilians.

Mr Assad told The Times last week that Palestinian suicide bombings were “a reaction to the terrorism practised by (the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon against the civilian Palestinian population”. Hundreds of British Jews are planning to protest against his arrival at Downing Street today with placards reading “A Sad Day for Britain” and “God Save the Queen from Terrorism”, a reference to his audience tomorrow with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Downing Street and the Foreign Office had expected an uproar. Senior British officials said that the Syrian leader would be challenged over his support of militant groups, but that the visit itself was a risk the Prime Minister thought was worth taking.

With a war looming in Iraq and new peace efforts on the horizon in the Middle East, Syria’s influential role in the Arab world could be pivotal to the success or failure of both. Nevertheless, Mr Assad’s official visit could backfire badly on his hosts.

The “nightmare scenario” at the Foreign Office is the threat that militant groups in the Middle East, with strong links to Damascus, could launch new terrorist attacks in the region while the Syrian head of state is being fêted in London.

Syria allows the militant Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad to run offices in Damascus and has close military ties in Lebanon with the Shia Muslim group Hezbollah, which pioneered the use of suicide bombers, kidnapped Western hostages and has large forces massed on Israel’s northern border.

Dan Meridor, an Israeli Cabinet member, accused Syria of channelling arms and funding to the three groups, which are listed in Britain and America as terrorist organisations.

“I would be interested to know if he (Assad) is asked while he is there ‘why do you allow these terror organisations to continue to operate and have their offices in Damascus, why do you continue the occupation of southern Lebanon and why do you supply Hezbollah with weapons capable of striking more than 50 kilometres into Israel when we have withdrawn from every inch of Lebanon?’” he asked. “Syria had to make up its mind to join or fight terror, and its decision was to continue with terror.”

The Israelis were furious when Syria was the only country on the United Nations Security Council to vote against a resolution condemning the suicide attack on an Israeli hotel in Mombasa. A senior advisor to Mr Sharon is due in London today to make Israel’s case as well as raise that of Ori Tenenboim, the son of an Israeli businessman kidnapped by Hezbollah.

The Syrians are one of Iraq’s closest trading partners, helping the regime in Baghdad to smuggle hundreds of millions of pounds of oil out of the country. Syria also allows other goods to be exported to Iraq by plane and train, avoiding the United Nations embargo. Damascus has also spoken out consistently against any war.

British diplomats, however, are hopeful that behind Syria’s tough public stand on Iraq and its illicit business contacts with Baghdad, the Syrian regime will be more flexible in private. The Syrians unexpectedly voted in favour of the tough UN Security Council resolution 1441, which Washington and London will use as the justification for any war with Iraq.

Since September 11 the Syrian intelligence has also been actively co-operating with Western intelligence agencies to share information on Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network. That relationship is credited with having saved lives in the West and will be strengthened during the London visit.

There are also distinct signals that Damascus is distancing itself from Iraq as war looms.

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