BRITISH Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, M.P., visited Tower Hamlets on 28 May to talk about foreign policy with local Muslim communities. He held a discussion at the East Winter Garden Conference Centre, with around 100 young British Muslims from the area, on a range of foreign policy issues and also held a separate meeting with senior Muslim community leaders and opinion makers from around Tower Hamlets. The event was hosted by the Young Foundation in partnership with the Mile End Community Project. The Foreign Secretary was met by senior Muslim community leaders and activists. Speaking about his meeting with senior British Muslim leaders, David Miliband, said, “I'm delighted to be in Tower Hamlets where I have just had a half hour meeting with community leaders from all parts of the community, and I'm looking forward to my session with the younger people. We covered three sets of issues, the hopes and aspirations and struggles of the Bangladeshi community in Britain in general and in Tower Hamlets specifically. We also talked about the Somali community in Tower Hamlets as well. We also talked about how the new generations have different aspirations from their parents and grandparents? “Secondly, the concern that people have about Bangladesh because there are vital elections taking place now scheduled for December, and thirdly how British Foreign policy reflects the global aspirations of the community here for a more just and stable world and we held a very good discussion,” Foreign Secretary said. In reply to the question on whether Iraq came up in the meeting, Miliband said, “Iraq was only mentioned in passing as a subject that someone wasn't going to talk about, and I always say to people about Iraq that I recognize the divisions there were about the original decision to go to war, but I think that the focus now needs to be on the next five years not the history of the last five years. Over the next five years we need to build economic reconstruction, political reconciliation and real security improvement, and I think whatever your position be on the original decision you can agree with that.” On the issue of elections in Bangladesh, Foreign Secretary said, “I think it's essential that elections are held. When I was in Bangladesh I argued very strongly for that and, to be fair to them the caretaker government were strongly saying to me that they would hold elections and they've now come good on their promise, they've announced the date that follows the local elections, that must be a good thing.” The British Foreign Secretary also met with around 100 young British Muslims from the Tower Hamlets area, and held discussions on a range of foreign policy issues. A wide range of issues such as Labour policy in Iraq; nuclear standoff in Iran; the Middle East situation including Lebanon, Gaza Strip and Arab-Israeli conflict, situation in Somalia, human rights in China, terrorism and radicalization, closing of Guantanamo Bay and the Labour's ethical foreign policy was discussed and debated with the young British Muslims at that meeting. Earlier, while introducing the Foreign Secretary, the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Bethnal Green and Bow, Rushanara Ali, said, “I hope this will be the first of many meetings with David Miliband and his colleagues at the Foreign Office. He is here to have a debate with you. I know among you there are the future diplomats, future high commissioners and, in fact, one of our high commissioners to Bangladesh is a British Bangladeshi.” __
