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LONDON - Lawyers for the singer once known as Cat Stevens said Friday that they have asked American officials to remove his name from a "no fly" list. The musician, now a peace activist named Yusuf Islam, was expelled from the United States last week after authorities diverted his London-to-Washington flight to Maine to remove him, saying he was suspected of ties to terrorism. The Carter-Ruck law firm said it had asked the U.S. government to explain why it considered Islam a security risk. "I remain bewildered by the decision of the U.S. authorities to refuse me entry to the...

The siege at the school in Russia shows that terrorists are prepared to attack anyone, anywhere, Jack Straw said today. Setting out the United Kingdom's position on the reform of the United Nations, the Foreign Secretary called the siege a "horrible reminder that international terrorism is a present danger to all of us, wherever we are". "The Security Council last night was therefore absolutely correct, in calling for the unconditional release of the hostages, to reaffirm that terrorism is one of the most serious threats to international peace and security." He added that the UN needed to be able to...

<p>June 22 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. diplomats are meeting Iranian government officials to try to secure the release of three Royal Navy patrol boats and eight crew members seized yesterday by Iran in the Shatt al-Arab waterway between Iran and Iraq.</p>

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw issued a sharp warning against attempts to undermine Britain's relationship with the United States. His intervention followed an unprecedented open letter from 52 former diplomats strongly criticising the Government's support for American policy in Iraq and the Middle East. Meanwhile an increasingly beleaguered Prime Minister Tony Blair played down the prospect of committing further British troops to Iraq in the wake of the withdrawal of the Spanish forces. Mr Blair said that Britain already had "sufficient" forces in the country, although Downing Street said consultations on troop levels were continuing with other coalition countries. Following talks...

They had the opportunity to hand themselves to justice and answer for their crimes. They refused to do this. It goes without saying that we would have much preferred this, but the news that Saddam's sons are no longer a threat to the security of Iraq will be a reassurance to the Iraqi people." – Jack Straw, July 22, 2003, on the killing, by US troops, of Uday and Qusay Hussein "One has to treat such claims and proposals by al-Qaida with the contempt they deserve. This is a murderous organization which seeks impossible objectives by the most violent...

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today condemned the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin as “unacceptable, unjust” and unlikely to benefit Israel. The spiritual head of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was targeted in an Israeli air strike while returning from a mosque in Gaza City at daybreak. Mr Straw, arriving in Brussels for EU talks on counter-terrorism, said the attack was nothing more than an “unlawful killing”. He called for restraint on both sides and went on: “All of us understand Israel’s need to defend itself against terrorism which affects it – within international law. But he said Israel was not...

ISLAMABAD: British Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Jack Straw, will be visiting Pakistan from March-3/5 to hold bilateral consultations between the United Kingdom and Pakistan. In addition to a review of bilateral relations, discussions would be held on a wide range of regional as well as global issues including resumption of Pakistan-India dialogue, reconstruction in Afghanistan, counterterrorism and non-proliferation. Pakistan enjoys friendly relations with Britain rooted in a long historical association, which predates partition. The UK is home to more than 750,000 strong community of Pakistani origin who have made a significant contribution to the constitution of a multi-cultural...

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was meeting India’s top leaders today in a bid to build stronger relations. Straw was to meet External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha before delivering a speech on the fight against terrorism. He also planned meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, Commerce and Industry Minister Arun Jaitley and the leader of opposition, Sonia Gandhi, Press Trust of India news agency said. In a statement earlier this week in London, Straw said India was a “vital partner for Britain”. “Britain and India are committed to taking our relationship to a new strategic level which reflects the...

Jack Straw arrives in Delhi on four-day visit Press Trust of India New Delhi, February 5 British Foreign Minister Jack Straw arrived on a four-day visit on Thursday as part of a major initiative to work with India to further consolidate the new strategic partnership between the two countries. "India is a vital partner for the UK," Straw said on the eve of his visit in London and added "it is central to six of the UK's eight strategic foreign policy objectives". He said Britain and India were committed to taking their relationship to a "new strategic level" which reflects...

British troops will be in Iraq for years not months, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has confirmed. An appointed Iraqi interim administration should take charge as planned on July 1, Mr Straw said. But that would not mean an end to the coalition force's work, he added. There was no "exact timescale" for their withdrawal but "it is not going to be months", he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. "I can't say whether it is going to be 2006, 2007," he said. The US-led force was playing a vital role in ensuring stability and security in Iraq, as they...

<p>LONDON -- Last Wednesday, I was privileged to speak at a ceremony at which the George C. Marshall Foundation Award was given to my friend, Colin Powell. It was a wonderful, all-American occasion (us Brits notwithstanding). Beyond its specific task of honoring a local hero, it was, to me, a celebration of the best of America and its international role. Marshall's contribution to the building of a free Europe was at least as great as Winston Churchill's, Jean Monnet's or Robert Schumann's. Pervading the event was the recognition that what flows from the U.S. -- which, with 5% of the world's population produces 25% of the world's wealth, and spends more on defense than the next nine nations combined -- is not raw power but an awareness of responsibility.</p>

LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair's government Wednesday defended President Bush's state visit to Britain next week and derided the "fashionable anti-Americanism" of many protesters. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said people were entitled to demonstrate, but questioned why protesters who planned to march against Bush had not marched against the tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein. "What bothers me is the fashionable anti-Americanism that's around," Straw told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. "Many more people I guess will be demonstrating about the United States and the action which the United States has had to take since Sept. 11 than ever they demonstrated...

Oct. 15, 2003 Straw commends "courage" of Geneva Initiative negotiators By DOUGLAS DAVIS LONDON Foreign Secretary Jack Straw Photo: AP British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw yesterday praised the "courage" of Israeli and Palestinian "negotiators" who were involved in the Geneva Initiative. According to some media reports, British officials played a central behind-the-scenes role in drafting the "agreement," which would give Palestinians sovereignty over the Temple Mount while nullifying the Palestinians' right to return. Addressing parliament, Straw did not refer to Britain's involvement, but he said: "I commend the courage of all of those involved, especially Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed...

Straw "had cold feet" over Iraq war LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair, braced for a critical week as an inquiry into the death of a weapons expert returns to action, is facing claims that his foreign minister urged him not wage war on Iraq. Blair's public trust ratings have shrivelled, with most Britons doubting the case he made for attacking Iraq and many blaming his government for scientist David Kelly's suicide. His standing took a further blow on Sunday when a new book claimed that just days before Iraq was invaded, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw asked Blair to...

European Union foreign ministers meeting in Italy on Saturday declared that the political wing of Hamas was a terrorist organization following the group's claim of responsibility for the bus bombing attack in Jerusalem in mid August which killed 22 Israelis. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Friday called on the European Union to put Hamas and all its branches on the list of terror groups. Sharon made the request during a phone conversation with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. Sharon also called for stopping the flow of money to Hamas from Europe. The foreign ministers of the 15 member...

Bush takes responsibility for Niger claim Agencies Wednesday July 30, 2003 The US president, George Bush, today accepted personal responsibility for citing a controversial claim that the former Iraqi regime tried to obtain nuclear material in Africa. "I take personal responsibility for everything I say, absolutely," the president said at a White House news conference when asked about the now discredited accusation. Mr Bush's administration has faced increasing scrutiny over the claim - which was based on British intelligence - ever since the CIA publicly cast doubt over its validity, saying it should not have been included in his State...

Last Update: 15/07/2003 04:27 PM meets Blair after Straw rebuffs call to end Arafat ties By Aluf Benn and Sharon Sadeh, Haaretz Correspondents LONDON - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with his British counterpart Tony Blair on Monday evening for talks over dinner at 10 Downing Street, during which Sharon was expected to urge a rethink of British support for Palestinian Authority Chairman Arafat. Earlier in the day, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told Sharon that Britain would continue to work with Arafat, despite Sharon's contention that the Palestinian leader should be removed from power, a British official said. The...

LONDON, July 14 (AFP) - Britain cannot tell the United States how it knew that Iraq tried to get uranium from Niger because the information originated from a third country, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Monday, without identifying the country. His statement seemed likely to add to an embarrassing rift between London and Washington -- allies in the war to overthrow Saddam Hussein -- over the way intelligence was used in the run-up to the conflict. The issue is liable to cloud talks in Washington on Thursday when British Prime Minister Tony Blair -- en route to East Asia --...

Downing Street's second dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction caused an "embarrassment" for the Government, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw conceded today.The document, produced in January, contained 12–year–old material which had been lifted from a student's thesis.Mr Straw, giving evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said it was a "very substantial error that the sources of the document were not properly attributed".He told MPs: "Of course it has been an embarrassment for the Government and lessons have been learned."Mr Straw insisted that the accuracy of the dossier was not in doubt.The Foreign Secretary defended No 10's first dossier of...

An incredible correction: A nasty slip on Iraqi oilOn Wednesday, journalists on the Guardian's website were alerted to a story running in the German press, in which the US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, was said to have admitted, in effect, that oil was the main reason for the war in Iraq. The German sources were found, translated, and at 4.30pm that day a story sourced to them was posted on the website under the heading, "Wolfowitz: Iraq war was about oil". Mr Wolfowitz, in fact, had said nothing of the kind, as a deluge of email, most of it...