Talk to al–Qa'eda

News in Brief

On 15 March, Tony Blair's most influential adviser for over a decade, Jonathan Powell, revealed that he believes that “at some stage you're going to have to come to a political solution as well as a security solution” to the threat from al-Qa'eda. Powell added: “And that means you need the ability to talk.” Lines of communication should be kept open - as in Northern Ireland, where Powell had a leading role in the peace process.

Topics: Terrorism