Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell today welcomed the UN Secretary General's appointment of Javier Ruperez to lead the expert team backing up the Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC). Mr Rammell said: 'The Counter-Terrorism Committee has achieved much since it was established in the wake of the 11 September attacks. It has questioned every member state on its performance in meeting the standards established by the Security Council.'

Speaking at an interview in Washington with his G8 counterparts on Friday 14 May, Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, said stability in Iraq would not be served by an abrupt withdrawal of coalition troops, but 'were the government that takes over to ask us to leave, we would leave.'

In a speech to the Royal United Services Institute, on the role of NATO in global security, on Tuesday 4 May 2004, FCO Minister, Baroness Symons spoke about the importance of persisting with the process of modernising the organisation: 'NATO has provided the bedrock of security for the West for over fifty years. It is the most successful military alliance in modern history, working for collective security. But while the end of the Cold War was seen as a triumph over threats to our security and the beginning of a peaceful and stable era, new challenges to our security have emerged.' Referring to the transformation of NATO, the Minister said: 'we need to look more thoughtfully at the world outside NATO and ask ourselves how best we can co-operate with others to deliver our shared goals of a more secure world.' Speaking of the Istanbul Summit in June, Baroness Symons said: 'Better inter-institutional co-operation is needed. We should use our strategic partnerships to their best effect. And we should seek out like-minded countries and offer them our hand of friendship. Istanbul presents the perfect opportunity to do so.'

The Foreign Secretary Jack Straw issued a statement following the terrorist attack in the Red Sea town of Yanbu in Saudi Arabia today. Mr Straw said: 'I am shocked and sickened by this act of terrorism. My sympathies are with the friends and families of all of the victims of this horrific attack.'

The United Nations Security Council adopted its first ever Resolution addressing the general problem of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction on 28 April. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: 'The United Kingdom played a leading role in securing consensus for this resolution and co-sponsored the text adopted today. Saying the importance of the resolution should not be under-estimated, Mr Straw continued: 'It represents effective multilateralism in action - a concrete demonstration of the international community's determination to tackle the threat posed by the proliferation of WMD.'

The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, has held bilateral talks with his Iranian counterpart, Kamal Kharazzi, in London. Among the issues they discussed at the Foreign Office on 22 April were Iran's progress on dismantling its nuclear interests, Iraq and the Middle East. On Iraq the Foreign Secretary again expressed his condolences on the recent murder of the Iranian First Secretary in Baghdad. He also thanked Foreign Minister Kharazzi for his cooperation on Iraq and said he looked forward to engaging with all of Iraq's neighbours and seeing them play a role in helping to stabilise the country.

Following the news of a bomb attack on the Saudi capital, Ryadh, the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw said: 'I was deeply shocked and grieved to hear of the tragic deaths in the wicked car bomb attack in Riyadh. On behalf of HMG I send my profound sympathies to the families and colleagues of the victims, and to the government of Saudi Arabia.'
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In his annual address to the Lord Mayor's Easter Banquet at Mansion House on 21 April, the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, spoke on two main subjects - Europe and global security. On Europe he concentrated on the referendum which the Government announced to decide whether to adopt the Constitutional Treaty for the EU. He debunked the myth that the Treaty would cede sovereignty to Brussels and said the Treaty was essential if the EU were to work effectively with 25 members. He accepted that the EU needed institutional reform to make it more flexible and less bureaucratic, but said that without Europe Britain would become marginalised and less able to tackle the problems of cross-border threats like terrorism, drugs and organised crime. On international security the Foreign Secretary said that security today did not stop at our borders or those of Europe, but was instead a global issue affecting us all and operating across international frontiers. For this reason, he said, 'We believe in an active and engaged role for Britain, as part of a strong international system which is able to confront the challenges and opportunities which we all face.'
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In a statement on the latest terrorist attacks in Iraq, the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, confirmed that at least 68 Iraqis had been killed and a further 98 had been injured, in a series of targeted bomb attacks on police stations in Basra. Describing the attacks, which injured four British soldiers, as 'vicious', he said that those responsible clearly had no respect for their fellow Iraqi Muslims. He also paid tribute to the courage of Iraqi police officers who continued to risk their lives in order to maintain and build peace and security. 'My message to the terrorists is clear:' he said. 'We will not allow you to derail the process of transition to a sovereign and democratic Iraq. The people of Iraq will not be deprived of the better future which they deserve.'
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'It is essential the forces of reaction and terror [in Iraq] do not prevail', Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a statement to the House of Commons on 19 April. The statement follows his recent trip to the United States where he had discussions with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and President George W Bush, predominantly about Iraq and the Middle East Peace Process. 'The vast majority of Iraqis want a prosperous, stable, democratic Iraq, at peace with its neighbours', Mr Blair said, adding: 'That is exactly what the coalition want. We are on their side against the small minority of those trying to disrupt this vision. And we have a political and military strategy to achieve it.' On the Middle East Peace Process, the Prime Minister condemned the recent assassination of Hamas leader Dr Rantisi, saying: 'We have to break out of this vicious cycle of suicide bombings and retaliation. Israel needs security, and the only lasting security will come from the stability of a solution to the Middle East Peace Process with two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side peacefully.' He stressed that the Road Map is the best way to achieve peace in the region. Mr Blair said his discussions in the US had also touched on the situation in Cyprus, and on the broad agenda for the UN and the G8, saying 'we must also be firm in tackling the breeding grounds of terrorism. That means broadening out the international agenda and confronting the issues upon which the terrorists prey: poverty, conflict, religious and ethnic strife'.
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