Gov't will listen to hostage-takers, but will not negotiate: Straw
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Britain is ready to listen to the Islamic extremists who have been holding Kenneth Bigley hostage in Iraq for two weeks, but not to negotiate with them, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw revealed.
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British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw  said on Tuesday violence must not upset plans to hold  nationwide elections in Iraq, whose prime minister indicated  the government was gearing up to retake rebel strongholds.
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"The fact that the government appears not to have been able to achieve its main objectives at the U.N. brings into question the wisdom of its tactical approach"  British diplomats were too slow to contact a key official who helped broker the eventual release of 15 sailors and marines held hostage in March by Iran, a report by lawmakers said Sunday.Officials also bungled a decision that allowed some of the personnel to sell their stories to media organizations after their release, despite strong reservations from some sectors of government, Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee concluded.The British sailors and marines were searching a merchant ship in the Persian Gulf, off the coast of Iraq, when they and their two inflatable boats were intercepted by Iranian vessels near the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway. Read more
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Britain is ruling out negotiations with the captors of Kenneth Bigley, the only surviving member of the trio of American and British contractors taken hostage in Iraq last week.
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Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has arrived in northern Iraq for talks with Kurdish political leaders. The plans were not published before Mr Straw trip, which comes amid the continuing crisis over British hostage Ken Bigley.
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Britain appealed on Thursday to kidnappers holding a hostage in Iraq to make contact -- but still ruled out negotiations or ransom payment.
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Jack Straw insists it was not a mistake to offer to send a team of Gurkhas to help relief efforts in Indonesia.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq The British government is ready to listen to the kidnappers of Kenneth Bigley but won&#39;t negotiate with them for the hostage&#39;s release.
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British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Tuesday violence must not upset plans to hold nationwide elections in Iraq, whose prime minister indicated the government was gearing up to retake rebel strongholds.
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Top ministers met on Wednesday shortly before a statement purportedly from the kidnappers was posted on a Web site. It denied having.
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Britain won't pay a ransom or meet any political demands to secure the release of British hostage Kenneth Bigley in Iraq, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Thursday.
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British Prime Minister Tony Blair has denied reports that his foreign minister, Jack Straw, had warned him a year before the US-led invasion of Iraq that a war could push the country into chaos.
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Prime Minister Tony Blair warned against &quot;raising false hopes&quot; for an engineer held hostage in Iraq.
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Australian Prime Minister John Howard said on Tuesday that Australia will not make concessions with kidnappers of two Australians if the hostage-taking information is confirmed.
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BAGHDAD, SEPTEMBER 23: The British and Iraqi governments said on Thursday that they would not bow to the demands of militants threatening to kill a British hostage, despite a video message from the captive pleading for his life.
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UK Foreign Minister Jack Straw made an unannounced visit to Kurdistan, Northern Iraq, to meet local officials, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
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The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, today won an assurance from Palestinian political leaders that they would act to halt the violence against Israelis but ruled out a meeting with Hamas.