Posted 27 June 2009 by David Miliband  |  3 comments

The bravery, intelligence and sacrifices of our armed forces have been given appropriate coverage this week through the media's focus on Afghanistan.  Armed Forces Day gives official recognition and hopefully raises understanding and pride.  It is also a chance to raise extra money for the Help for Heroes charity - the attached link gives details of the run along the Kabul Wall by the British ambassador and the leading British officer, General Dutton. http://www.justgiving.com/H4H-Ambassador-General.

David Miliband

Share this with:

• Delicious
• Facebook
• Twitter

Recent comments

See all comments (4) ›

Have an opinion?

• Post a comment ›

Posted 05 February 2009 by David Miliband  |  3 comments

1. The US did not say it would end intelligence contact with the UK if we published their intelligence information. They said it would cause serious and lasting harm to intelligence sharing.

2. Allegations made in the course of the legal proceedings that the UK was somehow complicit in the alleged mistreatment of Binyam Mohamed were referred to the Attorney General over three months ago.

3. Evidence relating to Binyam Mohamed's case has not been denied to his defence. In fact the UK government worked actively to ensure that all the documents in issue in this case were released to his defence team by the US authorities.

My parliamentary statement sets out the full facts.

David Miliband

Share this with:

• Delicious
• Facebook
• Twitter

Recent comments

See all comments (4) ›

Have an opinion?

• Post a comment ›

Posted 27 June 2008 by David Miliband  |  4 comments

We will address Zimbabwe and add the G8 voice to growing numbers of Africans (now led by Nelson Mandela) decrying the leadership of Robert Mugabe.  The economic descent of the country can be seen by the bail terms for MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti - a $1000 (bin) bail sets you back 100GBP. By next week that would be a fraction given 8 million percent inflation.

David Miliband

Share this with:

• Delicious
• Facebook
• Twitter

Recent comments

See all comments (5) ›

Have an opinion?

• Post a comment ›

Posted 26 June 2008 by David Miliband  |  3 comments

However frail Nelson Mandela looks his smile brings back his youth.  Many people hearing him speak at the unveiling of his statue in Parliament Square last year will have wondered whether he would be fit enough to come back.  But he has.  I have on my desk a bookmark given out last July at the unveiling with a great quote from Mandela's book Long Walk to Freedom: "Oliver [Tambo, Secretary General of the ANC] and I saw the sights of the city that had once commanded nearly two thirds of the globe, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament.  When I gloried in the beauty of these buildings, I was ambivalent about what they represented.  When we saw the statue of General Smuts near Westminster Abbey, Oliver and I joked that perhaps someday there would be a statue of us instead."  Who says belief in progress is naive?

David Miliband

Share this with:

• Delicious
• Facebook
• Twitter

Recent comments

See all comments (4) ›

Have an opinion?

• Post a comment ›

Posted 26 June 2008 by David Miliband  |  2 comments

This week marks a critical  point in the move to normalisation in Kosovo. June 15 marked the end of the 120 day period after the declaration of independence by the new country of Kosovo.  It also marks the drive by the UN Secretary General to fulfil  the mandate of Resolution 1244  and deliver a political settlement. This now takes practical form in the reconfiguraiton of the UN mission and the deployment of  an EU Mission -  the biggest and most complex EU mission yet. But a mission so far proceeding in conditions of calm. The fact that Kosovo is not in the news is itself a great success.

David Miliband

Share this with:

• Delicious
• Facebook
• Twitter

Recent comments

See all comments (3) ›

Have an opinion?

• Post a comment ›

Posted 29 May 2008 by David Miliband  |  3 comments

This is the theme of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's speech to the first international compact review conference on Iraq. All Iraq's economic and political partners are here. The progress on security - from 1500 attacks a week to less than 300 - is striking, as is economic growth (including oil production). But the problems are still immense and that makes the next year of the compact key.

I used my meeting with Foreign Minister Zebari to reflect on the need for continued cooperation on the issue of the five British hostages taken in Baghdad. Today marks the first anniversary of their seizure. They and their families have suffered terribly as their testimony today shows. We have not forgotten them.

David Miliband

Share this with:

• Delicious
• Facebook
• Twitter

Recent comments

See all comments (4) ›

Have an opinion?

• Post a comment ›

Posted 28 May 2008 by David Miliband  |  9 comments

I chaired the lecture by author and former diplomat (Under-Secretary General at UN) Shashi Tharoor at the Hay books festival on Monday.  His collection of essays carries this name.  His point was simple: India now sells over 8 million cell phones a month, more than four times the number of land lines of thirty years ago, while at the same time the 670 million Indians who work on the land produce less than half that of three million Americans.  Go figure.  It's a land of difference and paradox - but his argument is that the differences are the great strength.  There is something for everyone.  I will see for myself on a trip in September.

David Miliband

Share this with:

• Delicious
• Facebook
• Twitter

Recent comments

See all comments (10) ›

Have an opinion?

• Post a comment ›

Posted 14 May 2008 by David Miliband  | 

Congratulations to Boris Tadic's “Coalition for a European Serbia” party list which has won an outstanding victory in the Serbian general election. They made Europe the issue and won. Now as a coalition is formed the democratic will of the Serbian people needs to be respected.

David Miliband

Share this with:

• Delicious
• Facebook
• Twitter

Have an opinion?

• Post a comment ›

Archived: A blog about British foreign policy and the work of the Foreign Office.

• About David

Tag cloud

afghanistan british china climate copenhagen council eu europe european foreign human iran iraq nuclear obama pakistan rights security un zimbabwe

Favourite links

• Harare bloggers

• British Council
• Visit Britain
• DFID

• Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• Embassy websites
• UK Trade & Investment
• UKvisas
• FCO YouTube channel
• FCO on Flickr
• FCO on Twitter
• UKTI Blog

• Whitehall Webby
• Digital Dialogues
• Simon Dickson
• Stuart Bruce
• David Wilcox
• eDemocracy Update
• The Obvious?
• Emma Mulqueeny

• South Shields Gazette
• Arsenal FC
• Maramushi newsmap
• Avaaz
• Tech President
• Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty

• Nick Robinson
• Adam Boulton
• Robert Peston
• Iain Dale
• Recess Monkey
• Ellee Seymour
• Labour Party Blogs
• Conservative Blogs
• Liberal Democrat Blogs
• Dimitrij Rupel
• Foreign Matters
• Foreign Policy

• 10 Downing Street
• Department for International Development
• Ministry of Defence
• Directgov