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Miliband condemns war on terror as 'mistaken'

Ap
Thursday 15 January 2009 12:37 GMT
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Foreign Secretary David Miliband strongly criticised the US-led war on terror today as he called for the international community to respond to future attacks by "championing the rule of law, not subordinating it."

Miliband also called for the shuttering of the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay and the launch of new era of "democratic opportunity rather than fear and oppression."

Miliband's speech in Mumbai — the site of a November terror attack that left 164 dead — was among the first public remarks from a senior British official in criticism of how the battle against terrorism has been conducted since 2001. Miliband wrote an editorial published today in the Guardian that made a similar argument.

Britain's government hasn't used the phrase "war on terror" since 2006 because Miliband said "the notion is misleading and mistaken."

"Historians will judge whether it has done more harm than good. But we need to move on to meet the challenges we face," he said.

"Democracies must respond to terrorism by championing the rule of law, not subordinating it," he added.

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