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Top police chief: 'We must start negotiating with Al Qaeda now to stop terror'
Last updated at 00:49am on 31.05.08
A police chief was slapped down by the Government yesterday for suggesting Britain could open talks with Al Qaeda.
Sir Hugh Orde, head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said he knew of no terror campaign that had not ended with negotiation.
And he said his 30 years spent tackling the IRA had convinced him that security work and arrests were not enough to defeat terrorists.
Sir Hugh Orde has said Britain should have talks with Al Qaeda
But his suggestion was immediately dismissed by the Foreign Office.
A spokesman said: 'It is inconceivable that Her Majesty's Government would ever seek to reach a mutually acceptable accommodation with a terrorist organisation like Al Qaeda.'
Jonathan Powell, ex-chief of staff at Downing Street, also says the Ulster peace deal shows talking to terror groups can work.
He said negotiating with Al Qaeda might seem pointless now, but a political solution would be needed in the end.
Sir Hugh, a leading contender to take over from Sir Ian Blair as chief of the Metropolitan Police, said: 'If you want my professional assessment of any terrorism campaign, what fixes it is talking and engaging and judging when the conditions are right for that to take place.'
Asked if he was saying we should talk to Al Qaeda, Sir Hugh said: 'I don't think that's unthinkable, the question will be one of timing.'
He also called for the number of police forces to be slashed from 43 to nine to better fight terrorism.
Reader views (3)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Yet another idiot in a high position, he should resign for these comments.
- P I Staker, London
Well now that the government has let them into the country and given them welfare and immunity from ever being sent back (got to look out for their human rights you know) we are in real trouble.
Cowards like Sir Hugh would rather give in to them and have us live under sharia law (no need for the police in that case) than face up to the fact that we have to be hard on these people. Public hangings for terrorists should be a good start (they want to be martyrs and we are happy to oblige).
There are still a lot of people in this country who have a spine and believe that it is worth fighting for, unfortunately none of them are in the government.
Obviously Sir Hugh's time would be better spent hiding behind a bush with a speed gun - just like the rest of his force. Move over and let someone with a set have a crack at it.
- Jimbob, Kensington
There's been a concerted attempt to compare Al Qaeda with the IRA. The difference could not be more profound. The IRA had one simple goal: The removal of British forces from Northern Ireland and the inclusion of the six counties under the wing of the Irish Republic. Home rule for Ireland. They didn't have any desire to rule the English mainland or convert us all to Catholicism on pain of death.
Al Qaeda also has one simple goal: We all convert to Islam or we die. There's no opportunity for negotiation. Al Q want a pan-Islamic world free of democracy, socialism, capitalism and all religion except Islam.
If Sir Hugh Orde can't understand this then he is not the right man to replace Ian Blair, even if Blair was never the right man for the job in the first place.
- Adam, Harrow, UK
