Category: Foreign Affairs

The speech made by Gordon Brown, the then Prime Minister, on 2 November 2008.

Can I say first of all what a privilege it is to be in Qatar, to be able to congratulate the Emir and the Prime Minister on their leadership, their leadership in Lebanon where they have brought about peace, their leadership in Sudan and Darfur where they are leading the way, their leadership in the development round where the Doha Conference will take place in a few days, and that is as a result of the Emir and the Prime Minister. And I want to thank them on behalf of all the citizens of the United Kingdom.

I am delighted to be visiting Qatar because I believe that this great country is leading the world in so many different ways. The diversification out of oil into other products is something that is being sponsored by innovation that is taking place here, and I had the privilege of visiting the Qatar Foundation and being able to see its work and I do congratulate the Foundation on its cultural and intellectual projects round the world.

I think cooperation between our two countries is growing.  I am very pleased that we are able to announce the new Investment Fund that is being created today, that is the Clean Technology Investment Fund which is worth  £250 million, a joint fund between Qatar and the United Kingdom, £140 million from Qatar, the rest from the Carbon Trust and the private sector, and this will be funding for investment in companies developing a wide range of low carbon technologies, and it is right that we cooperate on how we can make the energy resources of our countries do better for us in the future.

This relationship between Qatar and Britain is also being extended by university cooperation. Oxford University, Cambridge University, the University College London, Imperial College, are all parts of projects that are now developing here, and many businesses are here with us today with an interest in developing strong relations for the future.

We talked also, as the Prime Minister has said, about how we can work together to deal with the world’s financial difficulties.  I believe it is only by cooperation internationally that we can best solve the problems that exist at the moment. And whatever the causes of the problems, the most important thing is that we cooperate to find the solutions to the benefit of our people, people who are worried about their savings, worried about mortgages, worried about their small businesses, people who are worried about the cost of their bills, I think it is important that world leaders come together.  And I believe we share an understanding of what needs to be done and that will go forward into the international arena where we are determined to work together for a solution to the problems that exist.

Once again let me praise the Prime Minister of Qatar who has been so instrumental in bringing about peace in Lebanon and is also working to bring about peace in Darfur and Sudan, as well as running one of the more successful economies in the world.

The speech made by Gordon Brown, the then Prime Minister, at the Guildhall in London on 10 November 2008.

My Lord Mayor, my late Lord Mayor, your Grace, my Lord Chancellor, your Excellencies, my Lords, Aldermen, Sheriffs, Chief Commoner, ladies and gentlemen.

These last weeks and months will be studied by generations to come.

Historians will look back and say this was no ordinary time but a defining moment: an unprecedented period of global change, a time when one chapter ended and another began – for nations; for continents; for the whole world.

To us falls the challenge of leading Britain through the first financial crisis of this new global age and, as reflected in the huge volatility in the price of commodities, its first resources crisis too.

But these crises reflect underlying and unprecedented transformations in our world:

· the rise of Asia and the shift of global manufacturing power;
· growing resource pressures – from oil to food
· the undeniable reality of climate change;
· and new political instabilities and conflicts

All accompanied by the growing gap between rich and poor countries; and of course by the impact of new technology and the rise of the internet giving millions of people for the first time the ability to communicate, do business and organise across frontiers.

The range, complexity and impact of these forces underline just how much we are taking the first tentative steps towards what i will call a global society. And that what is at stake now is not just the success and legitimacy of our global economy but ultimately the prosperity and security of nations and communities in every corner of the world.

The decisions we make now will re-shape our societies ——in all probability for decades and more.

And we have a choice: to retreat or advance; to turn inwards or to look outwards; to be cowed by our fears or led by our hopes.

The world today can seem a daunting place – and when people feel buffeted or bewildered by the scale of the changes it can seem easy to retreat into the outworn and failed responses of yesterday — to a time of pessimism, protectionism and retrenchment.

But we could make a far better choice.

I want this to become the moment when together we rise to the new challenges by purposeful visionary and international leadership, leaving behind the orthodoxies of yesterday and embracing new ideas to create a better tomorrow: not as victims of history but as shapers of an open, free trade, flexible globalisation that is also inclusive and sustainable.

For while today so much looks grey or dark in the global economy we should not forget that we are in the midst of an economic transition to a new global age: whatever happens now, it is likely that in the next two decades the world economy will double in size. And that means twice as many opportunities for good businesses and twice as many opportunities for men and women with new ideas to market.  And as many as one thousand million new jobs for skilled workers will be created.  So this is the other side of globalisation – not just the insecurities we know about but the opportunities, the promise it holds for tomorrow.

And it is, indeed, possible to see the threats and challenges we face today as the difficult birth-pangs of a new global order – and our task now nothing less than making the transition through a new internationalism to a more collegial, collaborative and opportunity-rich global society, not muddling through as pessimists but, as optimists, making the necessary adjustment to a better future

Since the financial crisis began it has dominated the agenda. I have travelled perhaps more than i had planned to. But all in the protection of the British economy, British jobs and firms, British living standards —-knowing the livelihoods of British families and businesses are shaped in an ever more interdependent world.

And so we can see this year as definitive in another way: the year where we not only came to recognise our deep and irreversible interdependence, each nation with other nations, but acted upon it:  nations agreeing not just on high aspirations but on practical actions; governments ready to act collectively and quickly to take radical – indeed previously unthinkable – measures to avert global meltdown; discovering a common purpose amid the necessity of dealing with the financial crisis; a common approach forged first to deal with the financial crisis but one that will, I believe, enable us to respond  positively also to climate change, conflict and poverty.  And in doing so to build the confidence in the future that is key to bringing back confidence today.

So, while I see a world that is facing financial crisis and still diminished by conflict and injustice, I also see the chance to forge a new multilateralism that is both hard-headed and progressive. And I believe that in our international co-operation on finance, climate change, terrorism and ending conflict, there is evidence of this new multilateralism at work in the world: fairer, more stable, and more prosperous because it is rooted in cooperation and justice.

And if we learn from our experience of turning unity of purpose into unity of action, together we can seize this moment of profound change to create, for the first time, the age of the truly global society —-one where progressive multilateralism, not narrow unilateralism, is the norm; one where people find that what unites them is far greater that what ever divided them; and where it is co-operation, not confrontation, that flourishes in answer to age-old challenges:

· the challenge to reassert our faith in the advance of democracy as the most effective weapon in our arsenal against terrorism and tyranny.

· and — as we mark armistice day tomorrow and remember the sacrifices made in darker times – the challenge to build for peace

· the challenge to build consensus for a new global financial system

· the need to confront the realities of global climate change by building a sustainable low carbon economy

· and to make a reality of the vision of a global society by creating global partnerships across public, private and voluntary sectors to address poverty and move toward economic justice.

I believe that we in the west should approach these great challenges of our time with some humility. The west certainly does not have all the answers to them. We need more than the G8 – for the time when just a few powers could sit around the table and set the global agenda is over.

Quite rightly, the emerging powers of the 21st century will want to – and must – play their part. And so the G8, the IMF and the World Bank must change to meet the new realities.

But my central argument this evening is that the alliance between Britain and America – and more broadly between Europe and America – can and must provide leadership in this, not in order to make and impose the rules ourselves, but to lead and broaden the global effort to build a stronger, secure and more equitable international order.

Rightly people talk of a special relationship: but that special relationship is also a partnership for a purpose. The transatlantic relationship has been the engine of effective multilateralism for the past 50 years. Together

· we faced down aggression and dictatorship;
· in a few short years we built the great international post-war institutions – the World Bank, the international monetary fund, the United Nations.
· and we led the drive for trade, enterprise and dynamic markets.

Now unprecedented events have brought a turn of history that few would once have foreseen or expected.

Just days ago, across the Atlantic, our closest ally gave new meaning to its founding creed that all “are created equal.” Gave new strength to the notion that the american dream is for all Americans.

More than 140 years after the abolition of slavery; and more than forty years on from the civil rights and voting rights acts; America has chosen Barack Obama to be President.

And – as we have seen from reaction in America, Europe and around the globe – whatever one’s politics, it can surely only be a source of hope and inspiration that a nation which once would have looked at Barack Obama and defined him only by his colour today sees in him the man they want to be their President and Commander-in-chief.

And when Barack Obama four months ago followed in President Kennedy’s footsteps and went to Berlin he called on the world to stand together as one.

Winston Churchill described the joint inheritance of Britain and America – as not just a shared history but a shared belief in the great principles of freedom and the rights of man – of what Barack Obama described in his election night speech as the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

And as America stands at its own dawn of hope – so let that hope be fulfilled through a pact with the wider world to lead and shape the twenty-first century as the first century of a truly global society.

And i believe that with the farsighted leadership we have in Europe, the whole of Europe can and will work closely with America and with the rest of the world to meet the great challenges which will illuminate our convictions and test our resolution.

First – we must reassert our faith in democracy and be confident in our belief that open, plural, diverse societies are those most likely to stay rich, strong and free.

So we must step up and win the battle of ideas against terrorism and extremism not by sacrificing the liberties that they scorn but by securing new international means of achieving stability, reconstruction and democracy in failed and fragile states.

And we must promote greater tolerance and understanding within and between communities. Later this week I will join King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia alongside president bush and other World Leaders for his interfaith dialogue at the United Nations – deepening understanding between religions and countering extremist ideologies.

Second let us move quickly to complement the role of peacekeepers and aid workers through civilian as well as military assistance, to rebuild conflict-ridden and fragile states.

Just as we will continue to offer immediate help and advance the cause of peace in Darfur, Burma and Zimbabwe, and stand up for the democracies of Georgia and Ukraine, we will stand by the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo as they face new conflict and turmoil. We will get aid to those who need it. We will protect those who are threatened ——by ensuring that UN peacekeepers, already the largest force of its kind in the world, are properly led, trained and enabled. And we will work relentlessly to build the political settlement that is the only guarantee of long term peace.

Ultimately our shared security should be based not on the increased use of weapons but on their reduction. At this same occasion last year, I described the leading role I saw for our country in reducing the proliferation of weapons.

I am pleased that one hundred countries have joined us in banning cluster bombs; and that the idea of a multinational fuel bank to help non-nuclear states acquire nuclear energy is gaining support.

And working with our allies we are ready to do more: having extended export prohibitions on trafficking in small arms, we are ready to promote a new arms trade treaty. And I say to Iran which has signed the non proliferation treaty: in these new circumstances rejoin global society and benefit from help in acquiring civil nuclear power – or face new sanctions –and growing isolation.

Conflict in the Middle East and the failure to restore a Palestinian state is a festering wound that has for generations poisoned relations between the west and the Arab and Islamic world. But I believe, and I have heard for myself, that the elements that can constitute a settlement are now well understood by those on all sides who want to come together to end the divisions of the past. It has often been said that an historic hard-won and lasting peace is now within our grasp. But what I do know is that building on the work of President Bush, that durable and just settlement is an urgent priority for the new us administration – and the UK will stand firm in support.

A Middle East settlement has the potential to transform the future of the Middle East. In Iraq we continue to defend a new democracy and last summer we set out the remaining tasks to be achieved there to make possible a fundamental change of mission and the transition to a long term bilateral partnership with Iraq, similar to the normal relationships which our military forces have with other countries in the region. And we are making good progress with each of our objectives.

And I welcome the reaffirmed commitment from both president bush and President-elect Obama to defend a stable and democratic future for Afghanistan and to review the best ways of achieving this through better burden-sharing: America at its best – leading a broad international effort underpinned by shared values, working more effectively with the grain of Afghan society including the tribes; working with our allies to double the size of the Afghan army, working with President Karzai to tackle corruption and supporting the democratic Afghan government in its slow but steady attempts to build peace. And we will support the Afghan and Pakistan governments in working together to tackle the security issues across the border which the last decade has shown are crucial to our own security at home.

Afghanistan is a test the international community cannot afford to fail. And we will not fail.

Third – seventy-five years ago at a time of recession nations met in London in a World economic conference- and because the talks broke up in failure the world entered a long decade of protectionism and retrenchment.

In Washington this weekend, the British government will work with its G20 partners to establish consensus and begin to build a new bretton woods with a reformed, modern, IMF that offers, by its surveillance of every economy, an early warning system and a crisis prevention mechanism for the whole world.

This will require:

· The recapitalisation of banks and their resumption of lending to families and businesses

· Immediate action to stop the spread of the financial crisis to middle income countries, building agreement for a new facility and new resources for the IMF

· urgent agreement on a trade deal and rejection of beggar-thy-neighbour protectionism that has been a feature in turning past crises into deep recessions

· a restoration of confidence by addressing the root causes of the instability through reform of the global financial system based on the principles of transparency, integrity, responsibility, sound banking practice and global governance with co-ordination across borders and every nation playing its part

· better International coordination of fiscal and monetary policy – recognising the immediate importance of this coordination for stimulating economic activity.

At the heart of this is a growing agreement that at a time of change and massive uncertainty, people look to governments for action. This is no time for conventional old thinking or tired old orthodoxies.

In Britain, we have already cut taxes to help families this year. And as the chancellor has said, we will maintain our essential public investments while continuing to increase the value for money of every pound spent. This is no time for the old approach of short-term spending cuts in a downturn that would hurt families and businesses today and damage the long-term productivity of the economy.

Since this is a global downturn it requires a global solution. As was the case with the bank stabilisation plan, the benefits of any individual country’s fiscal actions will be all the greater if this is part of a concerted and fairly distributed international response to maintain global demand.

There is now a growing international consensus that, especially for those countries with low debt like the UK, maintaining essential public investment is the right and sensible approach, while allowing a temporary and affordable increase in borrowing to support economic growth.

Yesterday China announced that it was injecting almost $600 billion to support its economy. The European Union has said that flexibility in the stability pact to recognise exceptional and temporary conditions will be used. Last week, Germany announced their plans for a fiscal stimulus. President-elect Obama has already signalled his intention to do likewise. With Britain continuing to lead the debate, economic recovery will work better if we all work together.

The fourth imperative is tackling climate change.

For it is clear now that if left unchecked, climate change will have catastrophic worldwide effects on our future prosperity

The G8 has already agreed we must at least halve global emissions by 2050.  But this also means emissions must peak by 2020.

So we cannot afford to put climate change into the international ‘pending’ tray because of the present economic difficulties, as some might urge.

On the contrary, we must use the imperative to act for our future prosperity through the transition to a low carbon economy and reduced oil dependency as a route to creating jobs and economic opportunity for our peoples today.

This is why as we prepare for an ambitious post 2012 climate change agreement in Copenhagen, for which I pledge our governments unbending commitment,  the European Union must, and I believe will, agree in December its ‘2020’ programme for energy and climate change and show European Leadership at its best. And I want the World Bank to become a bank for the environment as well as for development, helping developing countries move towards sustainable energy paths of their own.

And a truly global society cannot of course exist without the vital humanitarian and development assistance and support for self sustaining growth that keeps millions of people alive and meets basic needs for education, food and health. For we cannot claim to be a truly global society, or one world, when 30,000 children die every day from diseases we know how to cure.

This is not the time to abandon helping the poorest countries. For now more than ever it is both our duty and in our interest to help meet the millennium development goals. For we cannot solve climate change without Africa; nor can we solve the food crisis without Africa.  We need a fully financed ‘energy for the poor’ initiative; where commercial sources of capital dry up support from the international institutions; and we need to support agricultural development. In Africa in the past, “feed the world” meant that we helped to feed Africa.  In future, if we do things right, we will do best by enabling Africa to feed the world.

And I am proud that, even as the world came to terms with the financial crisis, Britain has continued to drive forward the vital effort to meet the Millennium Development goals.

Tonight I have argued that uniquely in this global age, it is now in our power to come together, confer, and decide and that we must be guided by one clear truth: that we need solutions that can no longer be defined in terms of us and them, but can be achieved only together: as us with them.  I believe that people do not only co-operate out of need. There is a human need to cooperate. But I believe also that all our efforts reflect what people find when they can communicate across continents with each other; that there is a shared moral sense that we are responsible each to the other  – country to country as much as person to person. And because of this no injustice can last for ever, and even in the most desperate of circumstances people can journey with hope.

So my message is that we must be:

· internationalist not protectionist

· interventionist not isolationist

· progressive not paralysed by events

· and forward-thinking not trapped in the solutions of the past

And if we do so 2008 will be remembered not just for a financial crash that engulfed the world but for the decisiveness and optimism with which the world faced the storm, endured it and prevailed. And remembered too for how in doing so we discovered and refashioned the global power of nations working together.

President Roosevelt famously said “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

When fear overwhelms our perceptions of reality the effect is paralysing; it leaves people frozen into inaction – helpless at a time of great risk — and even at a time of great opportunity too.

But confidence in the future –that most precious asset of all – is the key to bringing back confidence today. It is dynamic, it heralds action.

And – for reasons I have laid before you this evening – I am confident.

Confident that we can seize the moment, grasp it together, and use it to lay the foundations – optimistic, multilateralist and inclusive – on which we can build the first truly global society.

The text of the webchat with Gordon Brown on Afghanistan on 14 December 2009.

The Prime Minister took part in a live webchat this morning – his first on the Number 10 website – on the issue of building a stable Afghanistan.

The PM’s webchat follows his weekend visit to Afghanistan where he met British forces and held talks with President Karzai.

Read the transcript:

Moderator says: Good morning. Welcome to the webchat. The Prime Minister will be joining us very shortly.

Sue Pritchard: The history of the region tells us that external interventions do not create, let alone sustain, stability, peace or prosperity. What’s different this time?

Gordon replies: Hello, Gordon Brown here.  I returned in the early hours of this morning from visiting British troops in Afghanistan.  As we approach Christmas I wanted to thank them for their courageous service and to tell them that the people back home were in awe of their acheivements.

To answer your question Sue, we know that the Taleban do not have the support of the Afghan people.  And above all we know that a stable Afghanistan means a safer Britain.  So the question is whether we can help the Afghan people build a stable, democratic and prosperous future – so it is right to train their forces, police and security services so they can take control of the security of their country for themselves.

stacey hemming: I know there is a lot of negative press and views regarding Afghan, with pressure to be pulled out. My husband is currently serving over there and I just want to say that I’m proud and don’t want them to be pulled out until the job is finished. Like many, we don’t want the losses we have suffered to be for nothing. I support you, I support our forces. It would be nice if you would stand tall and tell everyone that your not backing down and we will finish the job and do our fallen soldiers proud.

Gordon replies: Stacey, I don’t know if I have met your husband but he is clearly a brave and dedicated man who is making an important contribution to this important mission.  We have a job to do to destroy the attempt by Al Qaeda to attack the streets of Britain and to prevent the Taleban from offering them safehaven in Afghanistan.  We have just stepped up the number of forces dedicated to this job and are now training the Afghan forces so they can take on the role of maintaining the security.  We will never forget the sacrifice of those who have given their lives.

hanif rehman: Plz say a thank you to the troops. Secondly, has the PM thought of spending more on infrastructure i.e.schools and roads rather than sending more troops. Or does he feel constrained by level of corruption in Afg?

Gordon replies: Hanif

We’re doing both.  Our military and our civilian stabilisation advisors are working very closely together.  There are double the amount of health services in Helmand than 3 years ago and more than a hundred schools open in Helmand, over half in the last year.

On corruption, President Karzai has given me and the international community assurances that he will work to tackle corruption and at the London Conference on Jan 28th next year we will be asking him for updates on progress.  Of course it is about delivery not just words and we will be vigilant in seeking action.

khasail: How did you come to the decision of sending more troops into afghanistan in the middle of a recesion?

Gordon replies: Some of you have asked similar questions so to answer, the terrorist threat to the UK is real.  We cannot allow the Taleban to again give space to Al Qaeda to operate in Afghanistan.  This is not a conflict of choice, it is about necessity.  And all 43 nations of the coalition agree.  Our additional 500 troops will be complemented by more than 35000 from the US and other countries.  It is vital that our troops have the resources to do the job at hand.

Ben Blankley: Can there ever be a military solution that will stop the 1 in 4 Afghan children dying before their fifth birthday?

Gordon replies: Already the child mortality rate has been cut.  The estimate is that now 100,000 children under 5 who would have otherwise died are now kept alive by better healthcare.  This is because of British and other international countries paying for programmes to immunise children, to pay nurses, midwives and doctors and to make healthcare sustainable.

Glen Oglaza Sky News: Since Afghanistan is and always has been “tribal”, training Afghan army and police recruits who are mostly Tajik will not hold sway with the majority Pushtuns so How can the NATO effort stop the country simply sliding back into the old ways of rival warlords and the re-emergence of the Taliban? And was President Obama wrong to give an exit date – and a date for the Taliban to take back control?

Gordon replies: I met Afghan troops being trained by British troops in Helmand yesterday.  They came from every region of Afghanistan and showed it is possible to build a national army that is both professional and united.  They are ready to take on the Taleban and the Afghan army will rise in number to 135,000 over the next year.  And I discussed this very issue with the President of Afghanistan and the defence minister who are committed to this strategy.

The issue is the Afghan army, security forces and police gradually taking control and it is at that point that our forces can start to come home.

Sarah Taylor: In reply to Hanif Rehman, I am the wife of a Royal Engineer and I can assure you that he is kept very busy in Afghanistan by helping the infrastructure. Recently completing an access road which will allow local people to travel more freely to and from school.

Gordon replies: Thank you for that Sarah.  This is vital work and I’m very proud that your husband has made such a big contribution to the future of Aghanistan.

Jim Aldus: Until quite recently, your government has been saying that the troops have had all the equipment they need or have asked for to do the job in Afghanistan. If that’s the case, why is more specialised equipment being sent to deal with roadside IEDs that have been used by the Taliban since before the invasion?

Gordon replies: Jim

We are always adjusting to the threat that is posed to our forces by getting the best equipment to deal with it.  Over the last year the Taleban have increasingly used explosive devices rather than fight the British army face to face where they know they would lose, and the types of devices are always changing.  So to deal with that threat we have increased our specialist forces, our electronic surveillance, our intelligence and our hand held detectors and we have dismantled around 1500 IEDs in the recent months.  It is right we respond to the threat with the best equipment.

pedro: If the russians couldnt succeed in many years in afganistan, what makes you think that uk efforts will?

Gordon replies: The Russians didn’t have the popular support of the people for what they were trying to do  – they were working against, not with or for the Afghan people.  Our strategy is to partner the Afghan forces and we are clear that this is not an army of occupation.

Tom W: We can’t pull out until the job is finished, but this could result in us being in Afghanistan for decades to come, because the goal is not very clear-cut. How will you asses when the job is done?

Gordon replies: When Afghanistan is able to run its own affairs free of the Taleban and Al Qaeda.

Nigel F: Will you continue sending personal letters to relatives of the fallen, despite the (unfair) criticism you received?

Gordon replies: Nigel.

Yes I will.  And I understand the feelings who have lost loved ones and it is their concerns that are uppermost in my thoughts.

Thomas Oliver Bromfield: As a ex serviceman,can you reassure me that all the help possible will be provided to the wounded serviceman?

Gordon replies: Thomas, thank you for your question.  Yes, I saw the medical facilities at Camp Bastion yesterday.  The staff and the equipment are the best in the world.  I am also determined that all the care we can provide at Selly Oak and in other hospitals is the best.  I recognise the enormous sacrifice people make on behalf of our country and thank them all.

Asli Aral: What will be the main aim/purpose of the London Afghanistan conference on Jan. 28th?

Gordon replies: Asli

To get more support for our Afghanistan strategy to train, mentor and partner the Afghan secuirty forces and to help the economy and people of Afghanistan to get a bigger stake in their own future.  President Karzai will bring forward his plan for the future of Afghanistan for discussion at the conference.

tony: If all 43 nations of the coalition agree about the necessity of this war is it not time that British service personal were replaced by the service personel of another country in Helmand Province and let them have a spell of death and destruction?

Gordon replies: Our NATO and coalition allies are offering more troops, including the US who are offering 30,000 more and around 5000 from the non-US allies.

English: Why don’t “we” start buying the Opium? There are several reasons why they should. It would establish peaceful trade with farmers (who can grow little else), it starves the Taliban of recruits and funds, it keeps heroin off our streets, it solves the world shortage in opium. The current “strategy” of burning farmers crops only strengthens the Taliban by supplying angry ex farmers.

Gordon replies: The UN and most people looking at this oppose this policy as they believe farmers would simply multiply the amount of opium they produce.

Harry: When the troops leave Afghanistan, what legacy would you ideally like to leave on the Afghani people and how reachable do you think this is? Also, in terms of percentage, what population of the Afghani people do you believe are truly behind what our troops are doing in Afghanistan?

Gordon replies: A stable Afghanistan in which the army and police can deal with security and terrorism and where the people have a stake in their future.

Sam Ornbo: How close are we to finding Osama Bin Laden?

Gordon replies: Sam

In the last year 8 of the leading figures in Al Qaeda have been killed.  Al Qaeda is being seriously disrupted by the actions in Afghanistan and in Pakistan.  At present we have no specific knowledge about Osama Bin Laden but we continue to hunt him down.

James Kirkup – Daily Telegraph: Do you have any concerns about public support for the deployment? There’s clearly very strong sympathy for Armed Forces personnel, but does it worry you that a significant proportion of the electorate appear to want a quick or even immediate withdrawal? And could signs of public unease over the mission actually embolden the Taliban and persuade them that they can break Britain’s resolve to stay?

Gordon replies: Morale in Afghanistan amongst our troops I found to be very high indeed.  They know they are doing an important job to defeat the Taleban to help security in the UK.  I believe that when people at home see why we are there – to defeat terrorism and see our strategy to train and partner Afghan forces so we can hand over security control, they understand that we have no intention of being an army of occupation, that the mission is vital and that our forces will stay until the job is done.  The soldiers I met are very proud to be playing their part.

Mike Naylor: When will a Government Minister meet the bodies of brave service persomnnel when they are re-patriated?

Gordon replies: Everything Ministers do is on the advice of our service chiefs and in accordance with the wishes of the families who have lost loved ones. I try to write to every family that has suffered these tragic losses. We do indeed owe everyone who has given their life for our country and their families our thanks and gratitude. Our forces are the best in the world.

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to send in your questions.  I am sorry I’m unable to answer more but I hope you have found it useful.

Gordon.

The letter sent by Gordon Brown, the then Prime Minister, to Medical Aid for Palestinians on 1 January 2010.

Dear Friends

Your open letter to me of 27 December in The Observer was right to draw attention to the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, one year after a conflict that cost over a thousand Palestinian lives and those of over ten Israelis.

As I have made clear repeatedly to the Israeli government, it is unacceptable that Israel continues to prevent aid from reaching those who so badly need it in Gaza. EU Foreign Ministers reinforced our call for full humanitarian access earlier this month.

Alongside diplomatic pressure, I pledge that the UK will remain in the forefront of the humanitarian effort. Following the offensive a year ago, we spent £20 million on humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.

And on 28 December, Douglas Alexander announced a total package of £53.5 million for Palestine, with a particular focus on Gaza – including £5 million of new funding for the United Nations’ work with Gazan refugees.

While Hamas’ actions can be no justification for preventing aid reaching the people of Gaza, Hamas must remove the menace of rocket attacks against the people of southern Israel, and release Gilad Shalit.

Ultimately, we can only give the people of Gaza real hope when genuine negotiations bring a lasting and just peace settlement. The parameters of such a potential agreement are clear. In the coming year, we must pursue still more vigorously a comprehensive peace based on secure and viable states of Israel and Palestine. For all of our futures, those who oppose justice and peace for the peoples of the region must not be allowed to prevail.

Yours sincerely

Gordon Brown