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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
Davey quizzes Miliband on Iran
July 24, 2009 10:20 AM
• [Jun 30] Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton, Liberal Democrat): MAY I place on record my support for the Government's position on the British embassy staff arrested by the Iranian authorities, and reinforce the Foreign Secretary's message that Britain has been restrained and measured in response to the unrest since the Iranian elections?
Given such sensitivities and the uncertainties over the future of internal Iranian politics, will the Foreign Secretary reassure the House that beyond the reasonable reaction to the unacceptable Iranian actions that we have seen, Her Majesty's Government will refuse to be provoked by the supreme leader, President Ahmadinejad and anyone else in the Iranian conservative leadership, and instead recognise that silence, patience and restraint at such a time can be the most powerful of diplomatic weapons?
(Citation: HC Deb, 30 June 2009, c147)
David Miliband: First, I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for the preliminary part of his remarks. I am not sure that I can sign up to "silence", as that may be going a bit far in the conduct of foreign policy, but I certainly think we should be firm but not macho in the way we go about it, and that is what I shall try to do.
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