Straw demands global action against terrorists

The international community must come together to defeat terrorists and their despicable aims, the Foreign Secretary has said.

Speaking to the UN General Assembly in New York, Jack Straw said that the UK was continuing to work towards the release of the British engineer, Ken Bigley, currently held captive by terrorists in Iraq.

He added that Iraq was "seeing the depths to which terrorists will go".

"No nation is in favour of the terrorist insurgency now occurring there," the Foreign Secretary said.

"We all recognise that what is being attempted by the terrorists in Iraq is an attack both on the Iraqi people and on everything for which this organisation stands: safety, security, human rights.

"We must come together to defeat the terrorists and their despicable aims."

Mr Straw said that the UK would be working on a new resolution with Russia to stop terrorists sheltering behind refugee status in other countries.

"We cannot let terrorists exploit a protection designed for the persecuted, not the persecutors," he added.

(gmcg/mb)