House of lords International Relations Committee to question Jack Straw on the Middle East
Jack Straw, who served as Foreign Secretary at the time of the second Gulf War, will this week give evidence to the House of Lords International Relations Committee as part of its inquiry into the Middle East.
Also giving evidence to the Committee will be representatives of TRENDS Research and Advisory, the BBC World Service, the British Council and Forward Thinking.
The Committee will ask Mr Straw about his view that Iran could become a potential allay to the UK in the Middle East and how this can be balanced with our existing alliances with the Gulf States, his criticism of the Netanyahu government's role in undermining the Middle East peace process and whether Britain's historical involvement in the region prevents it from playing a more positive role in the future.
The session will also touch on whether the election of Donald Trump as US President and his criticism of the Iran nuclear deal means the UK should consider distancing itself from its traditional alliance with US policy in the Middle East.
The evidence sessions will start at 10.00am on Wednesday 14 December. The witness details are:
10.00am
- Dr Ahmed Al Hamli, Founder and President of TRENDS Research & Advisory
10.45am
- Adrian Chadwick, Regional Director, MENA, British Council
- Oliver McTernan, President, Forward Thinking
- Tarik Kafala, Controller Language Services, BBC World Service
- Sam Farah, Head of Arabic Service, BBC World Service
11:45am
- Rt. Hon Jack Straw
